5 Blue Jays who won’t finish the month of August on the big league roster

Ryan Burr

Similar to Rodríguez, Ryan Burr was another pitching depth acquisition by the Jays, this time back earlier at the end of May from the Philadelphia Phillies. Selected in the fifth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks back in the 2015 MLB Draft, the right-handed reliever didn’t make his big league debut until after joining the Chicago White Sox organization via trade. 

Despite a solid minor league career, Burr had ran into quite the roadblocks so far at the major league level. Following his breakout year in 2021 with the White Sox where he amassed a stellar 2.45 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 36.2 innings pitched, he was unfortunately met with injury troubles in 2022. Burr ended up missing the bulk of the season due to undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. When he tried to work his way back into the majors for the 2023 season with the Tampa Bay Rays, he spent the entire season instead in the minors and ended up having surgery once again as a result of a meniscus injury.

After joining the Jays this season, Burr has appeared in 12 games, posting a 4.50 ERA with 5 walks and 13 strikeouts in 12 innings pitched. Like Rodríguez above, Burr will likely last until the time when the Jays choose to bring up some promising prospects to take a look at. But given how hard he has worked to overcome his injuries to get back into the majors as revealed in an interview with Sportsnet earlier this season, he will give it everything he has to hopefully keep his spot as long as possible for now.