The 2021 Blue Jays Roster has been hindered by injury after injury, now add Covid-19 illnesses as well to start the MLB season, although they find themselves sitting at .500 after a second series win against the New York Yankees. The long stretch of games has taken its toll on the team as a whole, especially on the starting pitching rotation, and now the bullpen.
2021 Blue Jays Roster: Current Injuries, and Injured List
The player count on the injured list continues to rise almost daily for the Toronto Blue Jays, between players injured and ill it’s been a rough stretch for the team. Six pitchers are among the eight players out of the lineup as Toronto has shuffled their roster regularly to battle the continuous overturn of players. The Blue Jays did receive one starting pitcher back from the injured list as right-handed pitcher Robbie Ray returned for his 2021 debut, unfortunately, it was a loss to the Yankees however, he looked confident in five innings of work giving up three hits, also pitched four scoreless innings.
The remaining players out of the 2021 Blue Jays roster include reliever Kirby Yates, who is done for the season and requires Tommy John’s surgery. Right-handed pitcher Nate Pearson has been out with a groin injury since spring training. Right-handed pitcher Ross Stripling is out with forearm tightness in his right arm. Pitcher Thomas Hatch is still out of the lineup, he left his final spring training appearance with an elbow injury. Tyler Chatwood remains on the injured list with triceps inflammation in his right arm. Relief pitcher and 2021 Blue Jays closer Julian Merryweather was moved to the injured list in the series versus the Yankees, he has a left-oblique strain.
George Springer continues to rehab his oblique strain and the tightness in his legs, the expectations were for the centerfielder to join the team in their first homestand of the season however, a setback in rehab has now taken him out longer as he will not be making the trip to Kansas City. Teoscar Hernandez remains out of the lineup after testing positive for Covid-19, he is currently quarantining and will hopefully only miss the required time period set by MLB and health officials.
The Blue Jays added right-handed pitcher Anthony Castro prior to their series finale against the New York Yankees, this was following the announcement that both Julian Merryweather and Ross Stripling would be unavailable to the team. Anthony Castro was a non-roster invitee to the Toronto Blue Jays spring training, he impressed the staff and they selected his contract to fill the void caused by the recent injuries.
In his debut, Anthony Castro appeared in relief for the Blue Jays pitching a scoreless inning and giving the coaching staff plenty of confidence in his abilities going forward. Anthony will remain with the team as they head to Kansas City for a four-game series against the Royals, he will likely get another opportunity to showcase his talents again.
Exciting, Young, and Determined
The Blue Jays roster has been tested regularly, the young core and the entire team continue to work together as they push for a run at the playoffs. The team has proven they can change the game with one swing of the bat, and the pitching rotation and bullpen have collectively got the job done time and time again, giving the team a chance to win in nearly every game this season. The team’s determination has pulled them back to an even 6-6 record on the season and they will look to get above the .500 mark against the Kansas City Royals.
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