Easton Lucas to start Blue Jays’ Grapefruit League opener versus Yankees

Originally posted on Bluejaysnation | By Thomas Hall | Last updated Feb 20, 2025 3:00 PM ET

The Toronto Blue Jays have announced their first set of pitching plans ahead of the franchise’s 2025 Grapefruit League opener against the New York Yankees on Saturday at TD Ballpark.

Taking the ball for the club’s first exhibition contest of the spring will be left-hander Easton Lucas, as manager John Schneider revealed Thursday. It’s somewhat of a surprising decision, considering 34 of his 38 appearances in the minors last season were as a reliever. But of those four starts he made, three occurred with the Buffalo Bisons, Toronto’s triple-A affiliate.

Yariel Rodríguez will follow Lucas during Sunday’s contest versus the Boston Red Sox, with Jake Bloss also scheduled to pitch. Bowden Francis is on tap to start Monday at the Detroit Tigers’ complex, while Max Scherzer will make his Blue Jays exhibition debut on Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals, backed up by José Berríos.

Early spring Blue Jays starters:

Saturday vs NYY – Easton Lucas
Sunday @ Bos – Yariel Rodriguez followed by Jake Bloss
Monday @ Det – Bowden Francis
Tuesday vs StL – Max Scherzer followed by Jose Berrios

— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) February 20, 2025

It remains unclear when Kevin Gausman will make his 2025 spring debut. However, he could pitch Wednesday when the team hosts the Philadelphia Phillies in Dunedin, Fla.

Lucas, claimed off waivers from Detroit last August, pitched to a 1.37 ERA and 2.50 FIP with 21 strikeouts across 19.2 innings with Buffalo in 2024. Overall, he logged 68.2 innings at triple-A between the Athletics, Tigers and Blue Jays organizations, registering a 2.75 ERA, 3.61 FIP and 16.1-per-cent strikeout-to-walk rate difference.

The 28-year-old lefty also appeared in the majors with all three franchises, compiling an inflated 10.80 ERA and 5.14 FIP while issuing 10 strikeouts and nine walks over eight relief outings.

Most assumed he would compete for a spot in Toronto’s bullpen this spring, battling alongside fellow southpaws Brendon Little (the presumed front-runner), Josh Walker, Richard Lovelady and Amir Garrett as the club’s lefty specialist.

But since it now appears the Blue Jays plan to stretch him out as a starter, he’ll be part of the organization’s thin layer of triple-A depth, joining Bloss, Eric Lauer, Adam Kloffenstein, Andrew Bash and Trenton Wallace.

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

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