Jordan Romano and John Schneider now have one more tough Toronto memory attached to the former Blue Jays closer's run.
Romano revealed this week that he dealt with kidney failure while pitching for the Blue Jays, a health scare that went far beyond the usual wear of a reliever's season.
The former Toronto closer shared the story on the 6ix Inning Stretch podcast while catching up with Whit Merrifield and Lindsay Dunn. Romano said the issue hit during his Blue Jays years, likely in the 2022 to 2023 window based on the timeline discussed in the interview.
Romano explained that he had been taking heavy amounts of caffeine, anti-inflammatories, and BioSteel while handling a big workload on the mound. He said the pain got so bad that the club initially feared it was an appendix issue.
Instead, the bigger problem was his kidneys. Romano said they were shutting down and badly inflamed, and that he later saw a kidney specialist after the episode.
That is what makes the story land so hard for Blue Jays fans. This was not a pitcher grinding through a rough outing. This was Toronto's closer almost pitching through a major internal health emergency.
It changes the way Romano's Blue Jays years look
Romano said doctors recommended no physical activity for 6 months. He added that he needed IV treatments for a full month and had to monitor his creatinine levels before getting through it.
For a reliever who became Toronto's go-to closer in 2021, that detail shifts the frame around those seasons. Romano still kept piling up outs while dealing with something far more serious than the public knew.
His Blue Jays body of work still stands strong. Over 6 seasons in Toronto, the Markham, Ontario native recorded 105 saves with a 2.90 ERA, a 3.53 FIP, and a 1.141 WHIP before injuries wrecked most of his 2024 season.
That is why this story feels bigger than old clubhouse talk. It adds a human layer to a pitcher Blue Jays fans mostly remember for ninth-inning intensity and hometown pride. That is an inference based on Romano's Toronto role and the health details he shared.
There is also a sharp reminder in where Romano is now. After a rough 2025 with Philadelphia, he signed with the Angels and has opened 2026 with no hits allowed and 7 strikeouts through 5 innings over 6 outings.
For Toronto, the takeaway is not about what might have been. It is about what Romano carried while closing games in this city, and how much heavier that load was than anyone outside the room realized at the time.
Does Jordan Romano's story change how you view his Blue Jays run?
Also read on Blue Jays Insider :
Marcus Stroman emerges as the Blue Jays’ top free-agent target
