Toronto Blue Jays facing tough roster decision when Shane Bieber returns

The Toronto Blue Jays will have a difficult choice to make when Shane Bieber returns from the injured list in the near future. 

Rookie Adam Macko was a victim of a roster crunch earlier this week, as the team sent him down despite his strong performance to activate Dylan Cease. Connor Seabold was then designated for assignment the next day so Max Scherzer could be reinstated. 

Now, after weeks of not having enough pitchers to field a full starting rotation, the Blue Jays are staring down a surplus of arms with no obvious move to make. 

Who is the most expendable pitcher on the roster?

Simeon Woods-Richardson is the most obvious cut candidate when Bieber returns. However, the Blue Jays just traded for him, and he impressed with four scoreless innings in his debut on Monday night against the Philadelphia Phillies. He doesn’t have minor league options, so he would need to be designated for assignment if the team decides to make him the odd man out. 

Spencer Miles’ status as a Rule 5 player and excellent results thus far should all but guarantee he’s not the pitcher who draws the short straw. His presence as someone who has been stretched out to cover multiple innings also makes Woods-Richardson somewhat redundant as a potential long man. 

Scherzer is the real wild card in this conversation. He struggled in his return from the IL against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night and was largely ineffective before getting injured. All his underlying numbers suggest he simply doesn’t have enough left in the tank to compete at the major league level anymore. 

Still, it’s almost impossible to imagine the Blue Jays designating Scherzer for assignment, given his Hall-of-Fame pedigree and value as a veteran leader in the clubhouse. A phantom injured list stint would be a better move to allow him to stay with the team. His worth goes beyond the diamond. 

Patrick Corbin is the veteran more likely to be cut. He’s fallen back down to Earth after a strong start, getting roughed up in two straight outings. This regression doesn’t come as much of a surprise considering how drastically he had been outperforming his expected stats. He’s nonetheless a proven innings eater who can take the ball every fifth day. 

The decision will probably come down to him or Woods-Richardson. The latter may have a leg up if he continues to perform well in a bullpen role, as Corbin has worked as a starter for the bulk of his career. The team may feel he is better suited to be the long man. 

Ultimately, the simplest answer is letting performance speak for itself. The Blue Jays need to win lots of baseball games the rest of the way if they want to make the playoffs this season. Whichever player is contributing the least to that goal should be the odd man out when Bieber comes back, regardless of whether it’s uncomfortable. 

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