The recent injury update for Bowden Francis prioritizes a trade deadline move

The Blue Jays had high hopes for Bowden Francis going into the season, but it's been a disappointing season. After the 2024 season, when he posted a 3.30 ERA and a 92:29 strikeout-to-walk ratio, Francis was expected to be a major contributor in 2025. However, this season has been marred by poor performances and injuries.

This season, the 29-year-old has a 6.05 ERA, and control issues have led to a 54:33 strikeout:walk ratio. He's also allowed 19 home runs over his 64 innings. These struggles were one thing to deal with but then Francis was placed on the 10-day injury list on June 17th due to right shoulder impingement.

The recent injury update for Bowden Francis prioritizes a trade deadline move

He started to throw off the mound on July 8th but had some discomfort and was shut down for 10 days. The news got worse on July 28th, when Francis received word that he was getting moved from to the 60-day injured list. With the move, the righty isn't eligible to be activated until mid-August, but there's been no timetable given.

With the uncertainty revolving around Francis's recovery, there has to be an uptick in the urgency to pick up a starting pitcher at the trade deadline. The Blue Jays ranked 24th in MLB in team starting pitcher ERA (4.52) and 18th in strikeouts (528) as of July 28th. Even with Eric Lauer's recent success filling in for the starting rotation, there's no depth in the starting rotation behind José Berrios, Kevin Gausman, and Chris Bassitt.

Max Scherzer has been a disappointing offseason acquistion with a 4.89 ERA and Lauer would ideally need to return to his reliever role, giving the bullpen another lefty to relieve Brendon Little's workload. For that to occur, a starting pitcher needs to be acquired before Thursday's trade deadline.

Alex Manoah may be returning soon, but what version of Manoah will we get? He's been abysmal in his two starts combined in Rookie Ball and Single-A. He's only thrown 2 1/3 innings, but he's allowed four earned runs. He can't be relied on as a reliable option to help get the team into the postseason.

As of July 30th, the Blue Jays are tied for the best record in the American League, so the front office can't risk missing out on the opportunity to improve the starting rotation. There have been many names tied to the Blue Jays, including Mitch Keller, Zac Gallen, Edward Cabrera, and Dylan Cease, but there are many options available that could be acquired before the deadline.