September call-ups always shake up a bullpen picture, and the Toronto Blue Jays may be adding a familiar face back into the mix. Joe Mantiply is closing in on a return from left knee surgery, and the timing lines up almost perfectly with rosters expanding from 26 to 28 on September 1.
Mantiply worked his fifth rehab outing Sunday, his third with Triple-A Buffalo, appearing in the Bisons’ 9-7 loss to the Rochester Red Wings. He entered with two outs in the fourth and threw 0.1 innings, allowing one hit and a walk while striking out none across 12 pitches.
The outing had its bumps, but nothing that should slow down his timeline.
A Rocky Outing With a Solid Finish
Mantiply’s first batter, Cayden Wallace, wasted no time making things interesting, lining an 88.4 mph sinker down the left-field line for a double, according to Michael Coyle of Blue Jays Nation. From there, Mantiply battled through a six-pitch at-bat against Leandro Pineda, getting ahead 0-2 before Pineda laid off four straight pitches to draw a walk.
With runners in scoring position and the Bisons already down 7-3, Mantiply needed a way out. He got it against Liover Peguero, freezing him with an 0-2 changeup at 79.8 mph that resulted in a groundout to third and ended the inning without further damage.
It wasn’t a dominant line on paper, but escaping that jam without allowing a run says something about where Mantiply’s stuff stands right now.
What Mantiply Brought to the Blue Jays Before the Injury
Before landing on the injured list, Mantiply had been one of Toronto’s more reliable bullpen arms. He signed a minor-league deal with the club this offseason and turned it into a real role, appearing in 17 games and posting a 1-0 record with a 2.04 ERA and 1.13 WHIP.
After a rough second outing where he allowed three earned runs, Mantiply settled in and stayed scoreless in 14 of his next 15 appearances. That stretch included six shutout innings in May alone, during which he held opponents to a .200 average.
Final Word for the Blue Jays
With rosters expanding and Mantiply’s rehab progressing, he looks like a candidate to be one of the names added when Toronto makes its September moves. He remains hopeful about being activated at some point this month.
Given how effective he was before the injury, getting him back would give Toronto’s bullpen some added depth down the stretch.
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