If not listed, please contact your TV provider.
Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano underwent arthroscopic surgery on Wednesday to repair an impingement in his right elbow, manager John Schneider told reporters (including MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson). Romano will be shut down for at least six weeks, and it’s unclear at present if he’ll be able to make his return to the mound before the season ends — mind you, six weeks from now would put him on the rehab road in mid-August, giving him just over a month before the season ends.
Romano, 31, has not pitched since late May. When he was available earlier this season, he didn’t perform particularly well. In 15 appearances, he amassed a 6.59 ERA (62 ERA+) and a 3.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Romano’s contributions were deemed to be below the replacement-level threshold, per the estimates housed at Baseball Reference.
It’s perhaps worth noting that Romano’s fastball was completely ineffective. Whereas he generated a 32.3% whiff rate on the offering last season, that percentage dropped to 6.5% this season. How much of that decline can be credited to the injury and how much to fluctuation within a smaller sample is anyone’s guess.
The Blue Jays have had four pitchers other than Romano record saves this season: Yimi García (also injured), Chad Green, Nate Pearson, and Génesis Cabrera. It seems fair to expect Green to continue getting most of the opportunities between now and when/if he’s traded. (He’s under contract for another season, suggesting Toronto could well keep him.)
The Blue Jays enter Wednesday with a 39-46 record on the season, putting them 15 games back in the American League East and seven behind in the wild-card race. Toronto had already received some bad injury news on Tuesday, with infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa — the club’s most productive player this year — hitting the shelf because of a strained knee.
© 2004-2024 CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved.
CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc.
The content on this site is for entertainment purposes only and CBS Sports makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event. There is no gambling offered on this site. This site contains commercial content and CBS Sports may be compensated for the links provided on this site.
Images by Getty Images and US Presswire
