Now, however, an addition that further isolates the original switch has turned from nice to must-have, with the insurance policy provided by Ross Stripling being implemented and paying perfectly. It could be argued that the right-hand performance in seven starts in two separate turns has so far been an upgrade over what Ryu, limited by what Atkins described as a “chronic injury” to his ulnar-lateral ligament, could to have caused. . The value of this type of protection can not be overestimated. But the combination of Ryu’s defeat and Nate Pearson’s last season has eroded the depths of the club to survive another hiccup. And an important parameter is what a reasonable workload looks like for Stripling, as he reached his peak of 122 appearances in the big ones, during the all-star season of 2018 and last year he scored 101. It is already in the 43 innings and with 3½ months of the season remaining, there are about 100 innings to cover this rotation spot. Note that there is no clear sixth player knocking on the door in triple-A Buffalo – Thomas Hatch, veteran Casey Lawrence and the exciting Max Castillo are the top picks as Pearson grows – and there is a risk the club must face. “There is a guy on our roster, there are some guys on our roster who could be alternatives,” Atkins said, describing what the club’s initial depth is now. “We can think creatively. “And then obviously we have to look at the deadlines and the commercial acquisitions that could enhance our depth there.” Atkins, as expected, did not drop his hand on the type of pitcher the club could aim for – “we have some flexibility to think creatively”, he said – but he thinks creatively a turning point is not a comfortable place for a candidate. In the spring, Pearson would be the obvious answer, but the mono delayed the start of the season, is still in catch-up mode, and concerns about durability probably got him well on his way to some kind of bullpen or hybrid role. He has been working on two-part pieces since joining a detox mission in Buffalo, and Atkins’s answer was “it really wasn’t,” when asked if Ryu’s news could change the way Pearson was rebuilt. “But this is a very real choice, perhaps more in the creative path,” Atkins added. “We’ll see. I’d just rather go out one time with Nate. Really encouraged by his last (two shutouts with three hits on June 8 against Worcester)… and we’ll do this one step at a time. to change our plan due to Rio’s injury “. Bigger picture, however, the Blue Jays will have to adjust, which adds a new wrinkle to their timeline plans. Atkins cited “depth in areas, complementary skill sets to others,” as ways to find gains elsewhere on the roster, his vague language as part of the formal undermining of deadlines, and an indication of how his roster has been positioned. Ryu’s signing of a four-year, $ 80 million contract has been a major step in the club’s development so far, marking a turnaround in the market for a prospective candidate and paving the way for the next signings of George Springer and Kevin. Gausman. Ryu was a finalist for Cy Young during the summer of the 2020 pandemic – making seven shutout innings against the New York Yankees in Buffalo to earn a place in the extended playoffs – and then the glue of rotation for the first half of 2021, when staff were still in order. His performance began to decline in August and his inconsistencies extended to the season, when he hit the list of injured players with inflammation in the elbow after his second outing and then made four more starts before being left out again. Ryu visited specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache last week and will undergo surgery on Friday which will be either a complete UCL revision, better known as Tommy John surgery, or a partial ligation repair. According to Atkins, there is no acute injury to the ligament, but rather a “chronic injury over time.” “Another way of thinking is… it is a stretch of the ligament,” he said, adding later: “He would feel it throughout an outing. So it would tighten after about four innings. This also shows that the MRI read is chronic in nature, that there is no acute injury, but over time that stretching and pulling causes it to tighten and (cause) a loss of skill or sense of performing on its courts or it really ends them. “ A partial repair would open the possibility of a return next year, while Tommy John would mean that Ryu’s four innings on June 1 against the Chicago White Sox were his last with the Blue Jays, as his contract expires at the end. of 2023. Either way, his injury brings 2022 to an early closure, resulting in some far-reaching consequences.
