The Toronto Blue Jays are gradually emerging from a prolonged battle with injuries, particularly among their pitching staff, but the toll on their bullpen is becoming increasingly evident.
Heavy Workload for Relievers
The loss of starting pitchers dating back to spring training has forced the Jays to rely heavily on their bullpen. Key starters like Shane Bieber, Bowden Francis, Cody Ponce, Trey Yesavage, Max Scherzer, and most recently Dylan Cease have all missed time. This has resulted in an extremely heavy workload for the healthy arms in the bullpen.
Long relievers such as Rule 5 pickup Spencer Miles and the recently jettisoned Eric Lauer have been used extensively, but the one- and two-inning relievers have also been taxed. Mason Fluharty, Louis Varland, Tyler Rogers, Braydon Fisher, and Jeff Hoffman have all seen significant action.
The games played column tells the story. Fluharty, the lone left-hander in the bullpen, has already pitched in a Major League-high 38 games. Fisher is tied for second with 36, while Rogers and Varland each have 34, tied for sixth-most in the league. Hoffman is close behind with 33 appearances.
Inability to Field a Consistent Rotation
The core issue has been the Jays' inability to put together a consistent five-man starting rotation. At times, two of those five spots have been filled by relievers in what the league calls a bullpen start. This is far from ideal, as it strains relievers who are already being used more than ever due to the trend of starters going shorter into games.
Despite this, Toronto's relievers have performed admirably. Their combined ERA of 3.72 through Sunday's games ranks 10th in the majors. Varland, who began the year as the primary set-up man and moved into the closer role after Hoffman's struggles, leads the team with a minuscule 0.96 ERA. He is among the best relievers in baseball, alongside San Diego's Mason Miller and Cleveland's Cade Smith.
Signs of Fatigue
However, the strain is beginning to show. Varland had his first real negative outing on the weekend, taking the loss in Saturday's game against the Yankees after giving up a two-run homer to Paul Goldschmidt. It was not a blown save, as he entered with the game tied. Varland has no blown saves this year. He earned a win earlier in the week against the Phillies but gave up a run in that game as well, something he had done only once before the two times he did so this week.
Fluharty did not give up a run Sunday in his two-thirds of an inning against the Yankees, but he looked out of sorts, walking left-handed pinch hitter Jazz Chisholm on four straight pitches, which eventually led to a Yankees run. Fisher, the youngest member of the bullpen, is also showing signs of overwork. Opponents are hitting .364 against him in June, after he held them to .135 in May and .239 in April. Fluharty's opponents are hitting .269 off him in June, compared to .250 in April and .220 in May.
While it is not certain that the workload directly correlates to these negative numbers, the indications are that the demand on their services is starting to weigh on them.
Help on the Way
There is good news, however. Help is on the way. The team recently got innings-eater reliever Tommy Nance back from the injured list. They are hopeful that Yimi Garcia could join the team in Boston when they begin a six-game road trip starting with the Red Sox and finishing in Chicago against the Cubs. Garcia, 35, has been plagued by injury since last season but made his second rehab start at triple-A Buffalo, with his velocity back up to normal. Garcia has been an innings-eater for the Jays in the past and would be a big help if he can stay healthy.
Most promising is the return to stability of the starting rotation. Kevin Gausman has been Mr. Reliable, taking the ball every fifth day and often delivering a quality start. Cease is back in the rotation after a hamstring issue and looks as strong as ever. Yesavage, after a slow buildup to the year, has made nine consecutive starts since his return. While he has had some issues with walks lately, he is healthy and taking the mound every fifth day.
Bieber has yet to make a start for the Jays this year, but his rehab assignments have been progressively better, and he could return to Toronto in the near future. When that happens, the Jays will no longer need bullpen starts, assuming no more injuries. The fifth spot in the rotation would be between Max Scherzer, who has battled plenty of injury issues of his own, and Patrick Corbin, who was signed earlier in the year for $1 million to fill innings until the Jays can find five healthy starters.
They are not there yet, but that day appears to be coming. When it does, the bullpen can return to handling just their normal workload rather than the extra toll taken when they have to cumulatively fill a nine-inning start or two amongst themselves.
