The Toronto Blue Jays placed Dylan Cease on the 15-day injured list earlier this week, officially ending the right-hander’s first season in Toronto. Right shoulder inflammation shut him down after 29 starts. His final outing against Texas on September 19 raised red flags when his fastball came in well below its usual range.
The Blue Jays sent Cease for an MRI. The imaging came back clean. No structural damage.
Now the timeline for what comes next is taking shape.
The Latest on Cease
Cease said Friday that he expects his recovery to follow a standard offseason timeline, per Arden Zwelling.
Zwelling wrote on X: “Dylan Cease (shoulder) will take some downtime over next several weeks to allow inflammation to subside but anticipates having a relatively normal off-season. He’s expected to be ready for the beginning of 2027 Blue Jays spring training.”
Surgery has been ruled out. He expects to be ready for the start of Blue Jays spring training in 2027.
For a pitcher who signed a seven-year, $210 million contract last winter, the update carries significant weight. The Blue Jays invested in Cease as the cornerstone of their rotation.
What Cease Delivered in Year One
Cease’s first season as a Blue Jay produced multiple career-best marks and put him firmly in the American League Cy Young conversation for most of the year.
Cease finished with a 2.40 ERA and 239 strikeouts across 169 innings. He posted a .179 opponent batting average, 34.9 percent strikeout rate, and a career-low 2.55 FIP. He led all qualified American League pitchers in strikeout rate and produced a 5.5 fWAR that topped anything he had posted in previous seasons.
The production justified the investment immediately. Toronto’s season did not end the way the organization hoped, with the Blue Jays eliminated from playoff contention on Wednesday. But Cease held up his end of the deal for 29 starts before the shoulder finally forced the team’s hand.
Final Word for the Blue Jays
Dylan Cease’s season ended earlier than he wanted. The shoulder forced a shutdown with a week left in the schedule, and the Blue Jays’ elimination made the decision straightforward.
But the update that followed was the best possible outcome. No surgery. No structural damage. A normal offseason with spring training as the target.
Cease gave Toronto exactly what it paid for in year one. Now he gets the rest to do it again.
Toronto Blue Jays Get Good News on $210 Million Ace’s Injury