BOSTON -- With only 18 games remaining, it is looking more like Marcus Stroman may have thrown his final pitch for the Blue Jays this season.
A nagging blister on Stroman's right index finger has been an issue for the right-hander, most recently in his last start on Sept. 3, when he lasted only 1 2/3 innings against the Rays in his return from the disabled list.
Stroman, who is 4-9 with a 5.54 ERA in 19 starts, was scratched from his last scheduled start on Sunday. Prior to the Blue Jays' opener of a three-game series in Boston on Tuesday, manager John Gibbons spoke about how difficult it could be for Stroman to return this season.
"You won't see him probably pitch, I wouldn't think," Gibbons said. "But he might. He's getting a little far removed from last time, when he went on the DL with it. He threw a side [session], pitched a game and it's almost a month now. Now he's going to have to build back up, and I don't know how smart that would be. For what?"
Stroman was not with the team in Boston, though Gibbons admitted that was partially due to the small size of the visiting clubhouse in Boston, particulary with an expanded roster. The 27-year-old right-hander will join the team for the series against the Yankees in New York this weekend and will begin to play catch then.
Worth noting
• Catcher Russell Martin was placed on the paternity list prior to the opener in Boston as his girlfriend was scheduled to be induced on Tuesday.
Danny Jansen started at catcher in Martin's absence.
• Despite some bruising on his face after colliding with a security chair in foul territory at Rogers Centre on Sunday, right fielder Randal Grichuk passed the concussion protocol and was in the starting lineup on Tuesday.
"He realizes that he plays baseball in a hockey town where people wonder, 'What's the problem?'" Gibbons said. "They're probably wondering why he came out. Stitch him up and get back out there."