Blue Jays front office finally makes a good decision on rehabbing closer

The Toronto Blue Jays front office may have made some questionable decisions during their 2024 MLB season. But with the most recent one, they have truly made the right call. The Blue Jays informed that closer Jordan Romano will not be returning to major league action this season.

According to Arden Zwelling, Romano had been ramping up activity in Florida for more than a week now. However, it appears as though he will run out of runway to get himself rehabbed in time before the end of the season. On the plus side, he will continue working off the mound heading into the offseason to get himself 100% healthy and ready for 2025.

That latest update ultimately ends Romano’s tumultuous and forgettable 2024 season. Looking back to when he began the year on the IL due to elbow soreness, it sure became a foreshadow of what was to come for the 31-year-old star closer. After coming off the injured list in mid-April, Romano uncharacteristically struggled for much of the season, going 1-2 with a dismal 6.59 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, giving up 16 hits including 4 home runs with 4 walks and 13 strikeouts in just 13.2 innings pitched over 15 appearances. His ERA and WHIP that he posted were his worst since his rookie season back in 2019 with the Jays.

His season would unexpectedly come to a halt once again in June due to a right elbow impingement. This time around, the injury required arthroscopic surgery to repair the damage. As a result, Romano has been on the sidelines ever since. Although there were some minor updates on his recovery process in the past couple of months, it turns out it wasn’t progressing fast enough to give him the opportunity for an earlier return. More importantly, with the Jays just currently playing out the season, it makes no sense to rush Romano back to risk any further serious injury anyways.

As the Jays work to retool rather than rebuild during the upcoming offseason, Romano should remain a key part of their bullpen, as he doesn’t become an unrestricted free agent until after the 2025 season.