Blue Jays looking to take on strange starting rotation plan

That is the clearest Toronto pitching update right now. What looked like a strength coming into the season has turned into a moving target, and the Blue Jays are now considering a more modern fix.

Jon Morosi reported that Walker said Toronto will consider using an opener in the next week or so if the state of the rotation calls for it.

That is not a small adjustment. It is a sign the Blue Jays no longer have the luxury of mapping out starts the old way and simply handing the ball to a traditional starter every turn.

The injury list explains why. Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, Jose Berrios, and Cody Ponce are all out, which has left Schneider trying to cover innings any way he can.

And this is where the idea starts to make baseball sense. An opener can steal clean outs at the top of a lineup, protect a bulk arm from the toughest first inning, and keep a patched-up staff from taking on too much too early.

Toronto is not talking about this because it wants to be clever. It is talking about it because the roster is forcing the issue.

The Blue Jays built this staff expecting depth to carry them. Instead, the depth got hit, and now the club is looking at a setup that could buy time until more arms get back.

That would also put more pressure on Walker's game planning. An opener strategy only works if the bullpen order, matchups, and follow-up innings are lined up before first pitch.

Schneider would need the right reliever for the first pocket of hitters and a bulk pitcher ready to take over fast. That turns one start into a chain of decisions instead of a simple handoff.

There is also a bigger message in this. Toronto is showing it will adjust to the roster it has, not the roster it thought it would have in March.

That matters for a club trying to keep its season from getting dragged off course by April injuries. A team can survive missing starters for a stretch, but only if it stops wasting games while waiting for healthier days.

So this is not about style points or trend-chasing. It is about survival, and Walker made that plain with one idea.

The Blue Jays may not want to use an opener, but with the rotation this thin, Schneider and his pitching coach are starting to sound like a club that knows it may not have much choice.