Just in: Blue Jays openers are sidelined again due to injuries
Baseball players will inevitably sustain injuries, and pitchers are particularly vulnerable due to the unusual motions needed to launch a ball over 90 mph into a small target. However, Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, José Berríos, and Yusei Kikuchi of the Blue Jays were able to avoid any form of serious illness in the previous season. To keep the pitchers off the disabled list the entire season required both good fortune and a competent training staff. This spring, I had a question: Is it realistic to think the Blue Jays will have the same perfect health in 2024?
Most likely, the response is negative. The Blue Jays, though, also think they’re specially equipped to stay healthy. First off, the front management should be commended for selecting starting pitchers with a track record of dependability. Also, the group is predominately made up of veterans who, having pitched in major league baseball for years, understand how to take care of their bodies in order to endure. The Blue Jays also have trainers who are in constant communication with each starter regarding their specific demands and are aware of what is necessary for them to continue throwing.
“We have everything at our disposal, but there are a lot of teams that need things and they just don’t have them,” Bassitt stated. “We truly take care of everyone’s needs because we’re so different, and I think that’s why this organization—from strength staff to everyone else—is just so individual-based.”
While there is no assurance that the Blue Jays’ rotation will perform as well as it did in the previous season and much is riding on Alek Manoah’s significant comeback effort, the team is hoping that injuries won’t be a factor in their success.
Pitching coach Pete Walker stated, “There’s no perfect science to it.” “However, I believe we have a pretty good system in place to ensure that players play.”
Yariel Rodríguez will be given more time as the starter.
Sunday was a busy day for the newest pitcher for the Blue Jays. After inking a $32 million, five-year contract, Yariel Rodríguez drew a few dozen spectators to his first bullpen session, keen to see what the right-hander’s stuff looked like.
Walker perceived a pitcher with a great deal of potential.
“He possesses numerous weapons.” Walker remarked, “He’s got almost every pitch in the book from several perspectives. “There’s a tiny pause in his speech. There are definitely some intriguing elements there; we’ll just need to make a few little adjustments to see what will function the best at the major-league level.
As a starter and reliever, Rodríguez has pitched professionally in Japan and Cuba. The Blue Jays intend to utilize him extensively as a starter in the spring, but they’ll be a little more cautious in their build-up because he missed the previous season after making an appearance in the World Baseball Classic in the midst of getting ready to make the move to the major leagues.
After the side session on Sunday, the staff was supposed to meet with Rodríguez to create a spring training plan that would involve pitching in games under a starter’s routine and throwing live batting practice. Walker stated that they have also given considerable thought to the number of innings he can safely and successfully pitch for the team this season.
Walker remarked, “We have discussed this extensively and we know what he can offer us this year. “We’re just currently estimating the location and method of that.”
For the Blue Jays, Rodriguez could play a variety of positions as a bullpen or bulk pitcher or serve as a Triple A depth starter.