Spring training continues to be a pain and a curse for Blue Jays reliever Erik Swanson.
The righthander, expected to play a significant role in the revamped Blue Jays bullpen, appears headed towards beginning the season on the injured list for a second consecutive year after a recent setback in Dunedin.
Manager John Schneider told reporters in Florida that Swanson has been shut down with elbow discomfort and is scheduled to receive an MRI to further evaluate the condition of his throwing arm.
With the season opener now less than three weeks away, it’s almost certain Swanson will miss time on the injured list, just as he did in 2024.
A year ago, spring training was a harrowing ordeal for the 31-year-old when he missed time after his young son Toby was seriously injured in a car accident in Florida. When he finally returned to action, Swanson’s progress was further delayed with forearm tightness, which kept him out of the lineup until mid April.
When he did return to game action during the regular season, Swanson struggled in form and was eventually demoted to triple-A Buffalo to sort things out in late May. He rallied late in the season, which led to optimism for a big bounce back 2025 season and a key role in the Jays new-look bullpen.
The latest setback for Swanson, who agreed to a one-year, $3-million US deal with the team in November, arose after he experienced discomfort during a recent bullpen session at the team’s player development complex. Swanson had yet to see game action in Grapefruit League play.
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Swanson figured to be a valued late-inning component of a Jays bullpen led by closer Jeff Hoffman and including Yimi Garcia and Chad Green.
At least the Jays have some depth options to fill Swanson’s spot in the bullpen but none with the proven high-leverage capabilities he has shown when healthy.
LEADING MAN
Shortstop Bo Bichette has certainly made it known that he’d like to be a tone-setter at the top of Schneider’s batting order as he looks to bounce back from the worst hitting season of his big-league career.
And so far in spring, he’s being given every opportunity to do so.
Bichette was back in the leadoff spot for Saturday’s split-squad game against the Detroit Tigers at TD Ballpark, the seventh time in nine games he’s been at the top of the order.
Schneider has yet to publicly state who his leadoff hitter will be and we suppose its possible that incumbent George Springer could be back in the position he’s hit in for most of his career. That said, it also appears as though the manager is fine with shuffling Springer down in the lineup — he hit cleanup on Saturday behind the Vlad Guerrero Jr.-Anthony Santander duo.
In his eight Grapefruit League games prior to Saturday, Bichette leads the Jays in at-bats (22) and has a share of the team lead in hits (eight.)
GERRIT COLE SHUT DOWN
Unlike the rival New York Yankees, the Jays have had a relatively healthy training camp thus far. And the news got worse for the Bronx Bombers on Friday when it was revealed that ace starter Gerrit Cole is undergoing tests on his right elbow after experiencing discomfort in his most recent start.
The Yankees didn’t waste any time sending Cole for an MRI, a day after he allowed six runs against the Minnesota Twins in 2.2 innings of work. It’s a familiar scenario for Cole, who suffered a similar injury last March, delaying his regular-season debut until June 19.
The potential of Cole being sidelined is just the latest blow to the Yankees rotation. Reigning American League rookie of the year Luis Gil was recently sidelined with a lat strain that is expected to keep him out of action until June.