Easton Lucas just proved his worth for the Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays were dealt a blow to their starting rotation last week when future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer suffered a thumb injury that could keep him out of the starting rotation for an undetermined amount of time.

The Blue Jays filled the open spot in the rotation with southpaw Easton Lucas, who pitched for three teams in 2024 in rlief.

Lucas made his MLB debut as a starter yesterday against the Washington Nationals, and delivered big at a time when the Blue Jays needed it.

Easton Lucas earns first MLB win as starter

The Blue Jays defeated the Nationals 4-2 yesterday at Rogers Centre to secure a three-game sweep over the Nationals and improve to 5-2 on the season. But the win was highlighted by Lucas earning his first MLB win as a starter after two years of struggles.

Lucas threw five shutout innings on 74 pitches. He allowed one hit and surrendered two walks while striking out three.

He primarily threw his fastball and changeup, though he did mix in the occasional cutter and slider. He generated nine whiffs on his fastball and two on his changeup. Perhaps most importantly, he only allowed one ball that had an exit velocity of 100+ mph. He also generated 11 whiffs, which is far and away his career-high.

Not only will the win help the Blue Jays keep their positive momentum going, but it'll also provide Lucas with a much-needed boost.

Last year, he made it into eight games with the Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers and Blue Jays and had fa 10.80 ERA and 2.23 WHIP. While one start doesn't define a career, the 28-year-old made a good first impression this year.

Lucas earned himself at least one more turn in the Blue Jays rotation while Scherzer heals up, but, if Wednesday was any indication, it seems like there's a chance he could end up sticking around with the Blue Jays regardless of what happens with Scherzer.