Stroman will make first MLB start against KC

TORONTO -- Blue Jays top prospect Marcus Stroman will make his first Major League start on Saturday against the Royals at Rogers Centre. The club announced the 23-year-old right-hander will be recalled from Triple-A Buffalo after reliever Bobby Korecky was designated for assignment following Friday night's 6-1 loss to Kansas City.

Stroman was scratched from his scheduled start with Triple-A Buffalo on Friday night.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said the move will provide Drew Hutchison -- who was previously scheduled to start Saturday -- with a few extra days' rest. Hutchison will next start on Tuesday against the Tigers.

"We want to get Stroman up here to give him a look," Gibbons said. "And the thinking was, we'll back Hutchison off a couple of days. [Mark] Buehrle will start Sunday, Hutchison on Tuesday in Detroit. We've been trying to pick some spots, give Hutch a little breather. After his last start, I thought he looked a little bit tired. We thought it would be a perfect time to give him a couple of extra days."

The 23-year-old Hutchison is coming off his worst start of the season. He gave up seven hits and five earned runs over five innings in a win against Tampa Bay on Monday. The Blue Jays have been keeping an eye on Hutchison, who's in his first season back from Tommy John surgery.

After struggling in five relief appearances with the Blue Jays, Stroman will get his first big league opportunity as a starter. He went 1-0 -- getting his first MLB win in relief against the Phillies on May 6 -- and allowed nine earned runs over 6 1/3 innings in a bullpen role earlier this month.

"We want to see him as a starter," Gibbons said. "He's been really good down [in Buffalo] this year. This is his opportunity. We sat him down, when we were in Texas, I think it was, and we told him we wanted him to go down and get a couple of starts … stretch him out a little bit."

Stroman is 2-4 with a 3.03 ERA in seven starts with the Bisons this season.

What Stroman's promotion means for current No. 5 starter Liam Hendriks is unclear. Stroman gives the Blue Jays six starters, but Gibbons claims Hendriks will still have an opportunity to pitch toward the end of next week.

One option would see Hendriks pushed back a day to start on Wednesday in Detroit unless he moves into the bullpen. The 26-year-old assumed the fifth spot in the rotation after Dustin McGowan was transitioned into a relief role.

Hendriks has two wins in as many starts with a 2.31 ERA. He's allowed two home runs and three walks and was hit hard in last outing against the Rays, with seven of his outs coming at the warning track.