5:12 p.m.: The Blue Jays have officially announced Cease’s IL filing. To replace him on the 26-man roster, the Jays made the right choice Tanner Andrews from Triple-A Buffalo. The Marlins drafted Andrews in the 10th round back in 2018, but he has yet to make it to the majors. Now 30 years old, Andrews has registered a 5.58 ERA in 129 Triple-A innings. He signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays last winter and opened 2026 with 20 innings of 1.35 pitching at Triple-A before his promotion. Andrews struck out 22 batters and had 11 hits as a Bison, but also issued 14 free passes. His selection gives the Jays a full 40-man roster.
3:29 p.m.: The Blue Jays put up a right hand Dylan Cease on the 15-day injured list, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith was among those to report. Cease is dealing with a strained left hamstring, manager John Schneider said.
It will be the first time that coach Cease suffered an injury when they lost to Pirates 4-1 on Sunday. He retired from COVID-19 IL as a member of the White Sox back in 2021, but the team reinstated him after two days on the shelf. Also a former Padre, Cease entered this season with five straight years of at least 32 starts. Whether he reaches 30 points for a sixth straight year depends on how long this injury keeps him out. Schneider said “hope to stay a little longer” in IL (via Shi Davidi of Sportsnet).
Cease was the price of the offseason for the Blue Jays, who signed him to a seven-year, $210MM contract – the largest free agent contract in franchise history. Before the injury, the 30-year-old lived up to the billing. Over 11 starts, Cease gave Toronto 62 innings of 3.05 ERA ball with personal best strikeout and ground ball rates of 35.7% and 47.1%, respectively. His 10.1% walk rate is in line with the career mark (10%), and advanced metrics like xFIP (2.50), FIP (2.57), SIERA (2.73) and xERA (2.95) suggest that Cease deserves even better results than he got.
Despite Cease’s brilliance, the American League champion Blue Jays are off to a good start at 25-28. They already sit 10.5 games behind the AL East-leading Rays, but they’re just a half-game away in a jam-packed wild-card race. Injuries have been a big part of Toronto’s problem, especially in its rotation. Shane Bieberobtained from the Guardian last season, held on to a $16MM player option, but never pitched due to elbow inflammation. Cody Ponce He suffered a knee injury that ended just one season and resulted in a three-year, $30MM deal. José Berríos he had Tommy John surgery last week, too Max Scherzer he’s been out for a month with tendinitis in his right arm and swelling in his left ankle. Eric Lauer he stayed healthy in Toronto this year, but after posting an unimpressive 6.69 ERA in 36 1/3 innings, the team traded him to the Dodgers earlier this month. That left one deep option for the Blue Jays.
By stopping going out for at least a few weeks, they are strong Kevin Gausman will be the best in the Jays’ rotation. Phenom Trey Yesavage he missed most of April with a shoulder injury, but has been excellent over five starts since coming off the 15-day IL. With a 3.86 ERA over nine starts and 44 1/3 innings, Patrick Corbin gave the club the bulk of its money in a $1MM deal. Those three are locked in spots, but the rest of Toronto’s rotation is up in the air.
Photo courtesy of Kevin Sousa, Imagn Images.
