Max Scherzer is almost back, and John Schneider's next call may be tougher than naming Friday's starter.
The Blue Jays have reached the part of the pitching calendar they have been waiting for. MLB lists Dylan Cease as Toronto's probable starter Tuesday against Philadelphia, and Scherzer just got through a 73-pitch rehab outing as his return closes in.
That is the good news. The harder part is what comes right behind it.
Toronto has to clear 2 pitching spots, and there is no painless version of that move now. A few days ago, Simeon Woods Richardson looked like the easy answer. Then he gave the Blue Jays 4 scoreless innings in his club debut Monday.
That outing changed the temperature around him. Woods Richardson did not just survive. He bought himself a real argument to stay on the roster, especially for a staff that has spent months begging for length.
And the timing matters. Schneider has been juggling around injuries all season, with José Berrios, Cody Ponce, and others already lost from the rotation picture, so any arm that can cover innings still has value.
Connor Seabold is right in the middle of this squeeze, too. He has given Toronto a 3.45 ERA over 15.2 innings, which is solid work for a pitcher who has mostly been asked to hold things together instead of own a clean lane.
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The Blue Jays may be choosing between flexibility and trust
Adam Macko is the other obvious name, but that move is not simple either. He still offers left-handed relief depth, and with the Yankees coming in this weekend, that matters more than it would on a softer stretch of the schedule.
That is what makes this feel bigger than a basic roster trim. Toronto is not just deciding who pitched worst. It is deciding which kind of roster protection it needs most over the next few days.
If Schneider wants pure recent merit, Woods Richardson made his case Monday. If the Blue Jays want steadier middle relief, Seabold has a cleaner season line than the eye test crowd may realize. If they want matchup value and flexibility, Macko still fits.
So yes, an injured list move elsewhere would make life easier. Daulton Varsho is already nearing the point where Toronto may need to decide on an IL stint because of his left wrist discomfort, according to MLB's Blue Jays injury tracker.
But that only softens one side of the crunch. Cease and Scherzer are pitchers, and the Blue Jays still need to decide which 2 arms come off an active staff that suddenly looks more crowded than it has in weeks.
That is the kind of problem contenders like to have. It is also the kind that can sting, because Toronto's pitching health is finally improving just as some of its fill-in arms have started making themselves harder to cut.
Should Simeon Woods Richardson keep his roster spot?
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