Blue Jays – Yariel Rodríguez heads to the IL with a back injury; Zach Pop recalled

In his place, the Jays have called upon Brampton, Ontario product Zach Pop from triple-A, one of the last cuts this past spring for the Blue Jays bullpen. In Buffalo, Pop owns a 1.86 ERA through 9 2/3 innings while racking up three saves with the herd. He has allowed just two earned runs and five walks compared to 11 strikeouts and has been one of the more reliable arms down in the Bisons bullpen.

Losing Rodríguez is a tough move for a Blue Jays squad that does not possess a ton of pitching depth at the moment outside of a struggling Alek Manoah in triple-A.

The right-hander is slated to make the start tonight against the Indianapolis Indians as he looks to right the track against one of the game’s top pitchers, Paul Skenes. Outside of Manoah, the starting depth is thin with Bowden Francis and top prospect Ricky Tiedemann currently on the IL, although the team can call upon veteran Paolo Espino as well if needed (he’s on the 40-man).

The injury to Rodríguez could open the door for a Manoah return sooner than later should the 6-foot-6 right-hander post a solid line tonight against Indianapolis.

Alternatively, the Jays have off-days this Thursday, next Monday (May 6th), and next Thursday (May 9th) and could do without a fifth starter over the next two weeks with some rotation juggling should the team wish to carry an extra bullpen arm instead.