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Bowden Francis gave up two earned runs in his latest rehab outing

Originally posted on Bluejaysnation | By Ryley Delaney | Last updated 5/22/24

The Toronto Blue Jays bullpen should be getting some reinforcements soon enough.

On Tuesday, Yariel Rodríguez threw 16 pitches for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, giving up an unearned run in his third of an inning pitched, before being taken out of the game. On Wednesday afternoon, Bowden Francis had the start for the Bisons, while Chad Green was supposed to come into the game later.

However, a rain out in the top of the third inning ruined the team’s plan for Green to pitch in this game, but Bowden Francis was able to get a rehab assignment in!

The 28-year-old right-handed pitcher finished with a line of 2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER (3 R), 0 BB, 1 K to bring his season ERA with the Bisons to 2.70.

Here's Bowden Francis' strikeout from today pic.twitter.com/geGkqPk7DZ

— Ryley Delaney (@Ryley_L_D) May 22, 2024

Diving deeper into the stats, Francis’ fastball averaged 93.3 mph (down .3 mph from his season average), while it maxed out at 95.2. The fastball generated 15 total swings and got no whiffs, which is a bit disappointing. The splitter was thrown eight times, and had one whiff on five total swings, while the curveball had one whiff on two total pitches. The slider was thrown just twice, generating one whiff on the only swing.

The Blue Jays placed Francis on the 15-day Injured List on April 25, and sent the 28-year-old to Buffalo for the rehab assignment on May 14. Pitchers have at most a month allowed on rehab assignments, meaning the Blue Jays must decide what to do with Francis on June 14, 2024, so plenty of time.

With that being said, the Blue Jays bullpen needs help at the moment, as by ERA, it is the third worst in the league. Not just that, but it doesn’t have any length in it, as Mitch White and Wes Parsons were traded, while Rodríguez and Francis are down.

As for Chad Green, I presume he’ll pitch on Thursday instead to make up for the rainout. He was placed on the 15-day Injured List thanks to a right teres major muscle strain on April 20, and his rehab assignment started on May 19. But like Francis, Green’s return would be a huge help for the Jays’ bullpen.

me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.

This article first appeared on Bluejaysnation and was syndicated with permission.

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