With reinforcements on the way, Corbin eyes deeper turns in rotation
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TORONTO -- The image captured the early days of this Blue Jays season so well, Patrick Corbin and Brandon Valenzuela walking in from the bullpen together.
One was in Triple-A a week ago. The other wasn’t even on a team a week ago.
The Blue Jays aren’t asking Corbin to be the savior, though, they’re just asking him to keep this rotation above water long enough for help to arrive. It will be Trey Yesavage’s job to save Toronto’s vacant rotation spot, then José Berríos and Shane Bieber, wave after wave of talent capable of doing more than just surviving.
In his Blue Jays debut, Corbin survived four innings. He allowed four runs, including a three-run shot in the first inning on a pitch that hung dead center, and hit two batters. No one will mistake this for a strong outing, but thanks to the Blue Jays’ 10-4 comeback win over the Twins at Rogers Centre -- highlighted by his batterymate hitting his first career MLB home run -- the spotlight shifts off the rotation depth for another day.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider downplayed it through the week, but he was more open following the win about the challenges Corbin was facing, joining the team just Thursday and launching right into an MLB game after just one rehab start in Single-A.
“It was my first day meeting everybody,” Corbin said. “I felt OK going out there and I was excited to be back on a big league mound again. It just seems like a good group of guys here already. It was great to come away with a win, the bullpen stepped up and the offense was great. I wish I could have pitched a little deeper, but I felt pretty good coming out and I’m feeling pretty healthy.”
It will swing right back around next week, though, with the Blue Jays needing at least one more trip through the rotation filled until Yesavage returns. Again, they aren’t trying to unlock the second coming of Robbie Ray here. They just need innings, and if there’s one thing Corbin has done over his career, it’s eat innings.
Innings leaders among active MLB pitchers:
- Justin Verlander - 3,571 1/3
- Max Scherzer - 2,971
- Jose Quintana - 2,105 2/3
- Chris Sale - 2,100
- Patrick Corbin - 2,047 2/3
Next time out, if there is a next time, the Blue Jays would love to see this land more in the range of five innings with two or three runs scored. Any big chunk of innings is a good start, though, as this team desperately needs to avoid what it ran into earlier this week and last weekend in Chicago, where Lazaro Estrada, Austin Voth and Josh Fleming all bounced on and off the roster.
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On deck: Yesavage
On Thursday with Single-A Dunedin, Yesavage threw 52 pitches over 2 2/3 innings and all of his velocities looked sharp enough. His next start will come in the middle of next week, and while the Blue Jays are still deciding where that will happen -- they want to avoid any potential rain -- a good next step would see Yesavage throwing roughly four innings and close to 70 pitches.
Right now, it sounds like that would be enough. If Corbin keeps this rotation spot once more in Milwaukee, it would allow Yesavage to come back with a bit of extra rest before making his 2026 debut.
In the hole: Berríos and Bieber
Berríos’ next step could be a Minor League rehab game next week, in which he’d throw about 50 pitches. If all goes well, it’s safe to pencil in a couple more rehab appearances after that, especially if Yesavage returns and the rotation stabilizes itself. That could still leave Berríos ready by the end of April, though, which would put this rotation in a much better spot.
Bieber is fully in a throwing routine now, too, building up in a delayed “Spring Training” of his own after right forearm fatigue and elbow inflammation slowed his original ramp-up. In a perfect world, the Blue Jays are already six starters deep and Bieber can take his time, but a return sometime later in May could be a good ballpark to work with if all goes well.
By then, these early, messy days of 2026 could all feel so far away, but if we’ve learned anything over the past month, it’s that we never know what to expect next.