Blue Jays Make Big Pitching Decision on Wednesday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Michael G. DeFrancisco | Last updated Apr 2, 2025 2:54 PM ET

On Wednesday, a talented young player will earn his first-ever major league start for the Toronto Blue Jays. After a thumb injury to veteran Max Scherzer caused the future Hall of Famer to be put on the injured list, a spot needed to be filled in the Blue Jays rotation.

Enter Easton Lucas, a 28-year-old left-hander from Pepperdine University. The Blue Jays claimed Lucas off of waivers from the Detroit Tigers on August 19th, 2024. He has bounced around from the minors and majors ever since.

Lucas has seen limited action out of the bullpen as a Blue Jay, recording a 9.82 ERA in 18.1 innings pitched. Although, he went 1-0 last season for the Blue Jays.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider called Lucas “Plan A” to get the start in the series finale against the Nationals. Lucas had been stretched out this spring in hopes that he could eventually become a starter. During that time, he pitched 8.1 innings and allowed 8 runs on 10 hits.

In two Triple-A seasons, Lucas was good. He pitched 98.1 innings and had a 3.48 ERA. He kept his WHIP at a respectable 1.302 during that time with a 9.2 K/9 rate.

Easton Lucas will start Wednesday’s series finale vs Nationals. #BlueJays

“This is a good lineup for him to navigate.”
— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) April 2, 2025

His pitch mix includes a four-seamer, a cutter, a slider, and a changeup. His fastball averages out at 94 MPH, and his cutter comes in at 90.3 MPH, both above average velocity-wise for left-handers.

The Blue Jays will hope Lucas pitches well enough for them to secure the sweep against the Washington Nationals in the series finale.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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