BRADENTON, Fla. -- The good news for Blue Jays right-hander Matt Shoemaker is that after two injury-plagued seasons, he finally feels completely healthy. Now, the 32-year-old hopes it will stay that way.

Shoemaker made his spring debut with two innings of work in the Blue Jays' 2-1 victory over the Pirates on Wednesday afternoon. The seventh-year pitcher allowed one run on one hit and didn't walk a batter while striking out one in his brief appearance.

Results are secondary to how Shoemaker feels. The Michigan native missed most of the past two seasons with right forearm soreness, but he had the injury repaired last May to fix a nerve decompression and a pronator teres tendon. So far, so good.

"I'm close," Shoemaker said after his outing. "Overall, I feel like I'm right there, but I know in a few more weeks, I'm just going to get a little bit better, a little bit more prepared, physically, mechanically and strength wise. ... Physically, I feel great. Mentally, I feel great, and then you just go out there and put it all together for a great season."

Shoemaker surrendered a solo homer to the second batter he faced, Jason Martin, but retired the six other batters. He also pumped the strike zone, with 23 of his 32 pitches for strikes. Overall, it was a productive first day on the mound and one that Shoemaker will look to build on over the next four weeks.

The Blue Jays also got their first look at Shoemaker's split-finger fastball, which is his primary out pitch and one that has become increasingly rare across Major League Baseball. According to Statcast, Shoemaker used the splitter 27.9 percent of the time last year, and it complements his sinker, four-seam fastball and curveball.

When Shoemaker needs a strikeout, he'll look to bury his splitter in the dirt just like Roger Clemens used to do for the Blue Jays back in 1997-98. Shoemaker frequently adjusts his grip on the pitch and throws it anywhere from the low-to-upper 80s to keep giving hitters a different look.

"I started throwing it when I was 14 because I never really threw a great changeup," Shoemaker said. "In college, it became a really effective pitch. Even when I was younger, it was still pretty good, and I used it as a changeup. I think throwing it for that length of time has really helped me with it."

The Blue Jays hope to see a lot of the splitter this year, but more than anything else, they just want to make sure he's healthy and able to take the ball every fifth day. Shoemaker hasn't enjoyed a full season since he posted a 3.88 ERA over 160 innings for the Angels in 2016. He has mid-rotation upside when healthy, and that's where the Blue Jays intend to slot him in, but he also comes with a lot of risk.

So the Blue Jays are taking a cautious approach with him this spring, and that will continue well into the future. There might be an occasional skipped start or an extra day of rest when Toronto has an off-day on the schedule, just to ensure he remains as healthy as possible.

"We have to manage his workload," Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo conceded. "He's going to let us know how he feels. We have to see how he feels after he throws. I'll tell you more, after he throws, how he feels. But we hope he does good, because we're going to need him. He's a very good big league pitcher."

Waiting on Richard

Left-hander Clayton Richard is expected to make his spring debut at some point next week. Richard has yet to appear in a game as he continues to work his way back from left knee surgery, which ended his 2018 season in late August.

Richard has been throwing bullpen sessions in camp for the last two weeks, but he's not quite ready for game action. The 35-year-old is not hurt -- the club has simply opted to take a very cautious approach with his rehab. The expectation is still that Richard will be ready for the start of the regular season.

"Probably by next week, early next week, he'll pitch," Montoyo said. "He feels good. We're taking our time with him, but for sure next week. ... [We're] making sure he is really healthy. He's healthy, but like [Randal] Grichuk, we're being careful with him. He's fine."

Up next

Left-hander Ryan Borucki will make his second start of the spring when the Blue Jays host Phillies on Thursday afternoon at Dunedin Stadium with first pitch scheduled for 1:07 p.m. ET. Borucki tossed two innings in his first start of the year and likely will see his workload increase to three in his second appearance. Grichuk is expected to make his spring debut in the game, which can be heard in a free webcast on bluejays.com.