The Toronto Blue Jays got some positive news on an injury to a veteran pitcher.
Yariel Rodriguez has been up and down between Toronto and Triple-A Buffalo as he has struggled at times. He was DFA’d during the offseason, as Rodriguez struggled in the second half of his season and into the playoffs.
Yet, Rodriguez entered camp with hopes of earning a roster spot, but that didn’t happen. However, he was recalled in mid-May and was up for a month before being DFA’d again.
After returning to Triple-A, Rodriguez was placed on the injured list on June 16, but was transferred to the 60-day IL in mid-July. Now, a month after the last update, Blue Jays insider Shi Davidi of Sportsnet revealed he started a throwing progression and could return to game action in September.
“Righty Yariel Rodriguez has started a throwing progression with games a possibility by early September,” Davidi wrote.
With the Blue Jays staff dealing with a plethora of injuries, Rodriguez could get another chance with the big-league team this season. The right-hander is in the third year of his five-year, $32 million deal with the Blue Jays, but the deal hasn’t panned out.
Rodriguez is 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA in 10 games this season with the Blue Jays. In Triple-A, he’s 1-0 with a 2.87 ERA in 13 games.
Rodriguez Worked His Way Back to Blue Jays
Rodriguez was an effective pitcher for the Blue Jays in the first-half of the 2025 MLB season.
However, he struggled in the second half. He was eventually left off the World Series roster and was DFA’d in the offseason. Yet, after pitching well in Triple-A, the Blue Jays selected Rodriguez’s contract in May, and he was ecstatic to be back.
“Very happy to come back over here,” Rodriguez said after being recalled. “I put in a lot of good, hard work over there in Buffalo and [I’m] very happy to be back here with the guys.”
Despite the success in Triple-A, Rodriguez struggled in the MLB, which led to him being DFA’d once again. Yet, with two more years on his contract, Rodriguez still has time to build back up and prove he can be an effective reliever in the MLB.
Toronto Dealing With Key Pitching Injuries
The Blue Jays are dealing with some key pitching injuries.
Toronto announced that starting pitcher Trey Yesavage underwent surgery on his left knee to repair his meniscus and is considered week-to-week.
“He’s week-to-week. We’re not ruling him out for the year,” manager John Schneider said. … “In the next couple of weeks, we’ll know. The meniscus is weird. Sometimes, it can be fairly quick depending on how the person responds to it. I don’t want to say I’m ‘very optimistic,’ but I like the fact it’s not the year. We know he’s going to get back to throwing again.”
Along with Yesavage, right-hander Jameson Taillon was placed on the IL with right forearm tightness. The Blue Jays acquired him from the Chicago Cubs before the deadline to give the team an innings eater.
Toronto Blue Jays Quietly Announce Injury Update on $32M Pitcher