TORONTO -- The Blue Jays’ rotation has been dealt another blow.
This time it’s Cody Ponce, who left his Blue Jays debut -- and first MLB appearance since 2021 -- on Monday on the medical cart with what appeared to be a serious injury before Toronto fell to the Rockies, 14-5. The Blue Jays say the initial diagnosis is “right knee discomfort"; Ponce was undergoing an MRI, with results expected soon.
Trey Yesavage, José Berríos and Shane Bieber are on the IL, meaning half of the Blue Jays’ eight MLB-caliber starters are injured. Every moment matters in the AL East, though, and the Blue Jays will need to address this rotation spot, however short- or long-term the solution may be.
First factor: The upcoming schedule
Let’s start with two variables the Blue Jays have coming up. This coming weekend in Chicago, the weather is calling for rain, and lots of it. That brings the potential to bump back start days, which would throw a wrench into this already complicated situation.
If there are no postponements, though, the Blue Jays have scheduled off-days on April 3, April 9 and April 13. These could alleviate the need for a “new starter” right away and leave the Blue Jays more open to bulk arms, but that’s still far from ideal, especially when the four healthy starters are considered.
Kevin Gausman threw more innings than anyone in baseball last season when you include the postseason. Max Scherzer is 41. These extra off-days should be protected whenever possible.
The injured starters: Who returns first?
Yesavage, Berríos and Bieber are all on the comeback trail, but even in a best-case scenario, we won’t be seeing them for a couple of weeks. The Blue Jays will need to bridge the gap here, but if they can survive into mid-April, one of Yesavage or Berríos could step right in.
Here’s the latest on each:
Yesavage: Will throw a sim game on Friday of three innings and 45 pitches. From there he could potentially get into a rehab game later next week, but he is still being built up cautiously from his right shoulder impingement.
Berríos: Will throw a bullpen on Tuesday, then face hitters at the club’s complex in Florida on Saturday. Yes, he is going to pitch through a stress fracture in his throwing elbow, which we’re told isn’t as scary as it sounds. If he gets through Saturday without any issues, it feels like he has the inside track to be closest.
Bieber: Will be the last of the group to return, but is getting back on the mound for the first time this Saturday. From there, we’re still looking at a full ramp-up, Spring Training-style. This likely stretches well into May, at least, for Bieber, but a healthy Bieber for the heart of the season and a stretch run would be extremely valuable.
Depth starters: This is where it gets thin
The Blue Jays already built a remarkably deep group of starters, but look at the names above. That’s a former Cy Young Award winner, the breakout star of the 2025 World Series run and one of baseball’s most reliable pitchers from the past decade on the IL. There’s a reason baseball executives will tell you “there’s no such thing as enough starting pitching.”
On the 40-man roster, the Blue Jays have Canadian lefty Adam Macko (No. 21 prospect) and righty Lazaro Estrada in Triple-A. Estrada got a couple of games in with the big club last year despite a disappointing season in Triple-A, but he’s capable of chewing through a few innings and had a strong 2026 debut with the Bisons, throwing 2 2/3 innings of shutout ball with three strikeouts.
Macko, fresh off an encouraging performance for Team Canada at the World Baseball Classic, struck out a pair over two scoreless innings in his 2026 debut in Buffalo and could finally be an option for the big club. The Blue Jays planned to use him in a bulk role, burning once through a lineup, which could be enough if paired with another multi-inning reliever to get to the fifth or sixth inning.
The Blue Jays also have reliever Chase Lee in Triple-A. He nearly made the Opening Day roster and could give them two innings. Other options in Buffalo include CJ Van Eyk, Yariel Rodríguez, Jorge Alcala, Josh Fleming and No. 30 prospect Grant Rogers.