TORONTO -- The score was the least of the Blue Jays’ worries Sunday.
The 4-1 loss to the Pirates took a back seat to the nightmarish afternoon of injuries which saw both Dylan Cease and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. exit early.
The good news, at least for now? Guerrero has been diagnosed with a right elbow contusion with early X-rays coming back negative and the Blue Jays are calling it a “mild” left hamstring discomfort for Cease. Both will continue to be evaluated tonight and tomorrow.
In the meantime, let’s take a look at how the organization could weather any potential absence, at least in the short term.
1. WITHOUT VLAD: A puzzle
Guerrero’s three home runs and .758 OPS aren’t terribly threatening, but that’s not what this is about. The Blue Jays have been saying for weeks now that they feel Guerrero is close to breaking out. Whether that’s the truth, their hope or some combination of the two, no player on this roster can change the trajectory of the Blue Jays like Guerrero.
One of Guerrero’s most underrated talents is his ability to be in the lineup nearly every day. It’s become one of manager John Schneider’s favorite things about Guerrero, who’s played in at least 156 games each of the past six seasons. Even when his knee or wrist are barking, which happens once or twice a year, Guerrero has found ways to play through it. Rarely has the Blue Jays’ lineup needed to live life without him for more than a day.
If even a few games of cover are needed, Lenyn Sosa and Ernie Clement have each seen time at first base. Kazuma Okamoto has made just one start there this season, but all of this infield shuffling is difficult with so little Major League depth in that group. Any rearrangement of the infield would then require Davis Schneider to play more second base, as well.
2. WITHOUT CEASE: Strained depth
Even if this mild hamstring discomfort necessitates one missed outing -- or even a shuffle in the rotation -- the Blue Jays’ pitching depth is not in a good spot to handle it.
Already rolling out a bullpen day with Spencer Miles starring in the bulk role, the Blue Jays may need to lean even more heavily on multi-inning arms. In Triple-A, the Blue Jays have Chad Dallas, CJ Van Eyk, Josh Fleming and Austin Voth available, among others, but none are on the 40-man roster. Max Scherzer is closest to returning among the injured starters, but that’s still likely weeks away as he begins to ramp up.
This lack of depth in late May can’t even be hung on the front office. The Blue Jays actually did an excellent job building out their rotation depth, to the point that it felt like a logjam midway through Spring Training. This number of injuries just goes beyond any reasonable expectation. The Blue Jays were already monitoring the pitching market for any available depth arms. Expect the club to kick that up a notch now.
3. TRICKLE DOWN: The bullpen
The Blue Jays’ bullpen is like this team’s exhausted parent. Every mess that’s been made, whether through poor performance or bad luck, tends to end up on the bullpen’s plate.
Even the offense’s shortcomings have strained the bullpen, forcing this group’s back-end arms to carry extremely high workloads through the first two months. The injuries to the rotation have a more clear and obvious impact on the relievers, and if Cease’s injury requires any level of maintenance beyond “Cease will make his next start,” that’s just another layer.
Mason Fluharty is now tied with Braydon Fisher for the MLB lead with 27 appearances. Jeff Hoffman (25), Louis Varland (25) and Tyler Rogers (24) are right behind them. These are workhorse relievers who carry the load admirably, but these numbers aren’t sustainable.