Blue Jays announce pair of roster moves ahead of June 4 game against Orioles

Few teams in baseball have had their pitching depth tested quite like the Toronto Blue Jays this season. The Jays have struggled to find consistency from the fifth spot in their rotation all year long and have yet to find a solid answer.

Alek Manoah, Yariel Rodriguez and Bowden Francis have all made starts but have also spent time on the injured list. Manoah is out long-term and Rodriguez is slowly making his way back, while Francis has been officially activated on Tuesday.

In a post on social media (X link), the Blue Jays formally activated Francis, who had been physically with the club for the past few days, from the injured list. Heading back down to Triple-A is the recently acquired Ryan Burr.

For the 28-year-old Francis, 2024 began with immense hope and potential. The right-hander made 20 shutdown appearances for the Jays in 2023 as a multi-inning weapon, but managed to secure a spot in the Opening Day rotation, which had always been a dream of his.

Francis made two starts and while he was striking out batters at an impressive rate, he also had troubles limiting walks and keeping runners off the bases. In 8.1 innings as a starter, he posted a 12.96 ERA with 12 strikeouts and four walks. The sample size is small, though, so the door may not be fully shut on an eventual return to the rotation.

Picking up where he left off last year, Francis had a 2.84 ERA in 6.1 relief innings before his placement on the IL. The Blue Jays like him as a long-reliever and it’s easy to see why. The expectation for this evening against the Orioles is that he’ll be first in line to eat some innings after opener Trevor Richards is done for the night.

Burr, 30, made two relief appearances for the Blue Jays prior to his demotion, the first he’s made since 2022. The five-year veteran typically doesn’t strike many batters out but he’s sporting a 15.7 K/9 in the minor leagues this year alongside a 2.16 ERA in 15 outings for the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate. If he keeps this up in the minors, he’ll be back.