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Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano is set to visit Dr. Keith Meister on July 2, manager John Schneider told reporters (including the Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath and Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi). Romano has been on the injured list due to right elbow inflammation for almost a month, and his throwing work has now been halted for a second time due to continued soreness. Some soreness last week led to a pause for a few days, but Romano has been shut down from throwing entirely after a throwing session on Friday.
While Schneider noted that no structural damage has been found in other examinations of Romano’s elbow, it is naturally a little ominous to hear that any pitcher is visiting Dr. Meister. Just earlier this month, Meister performed a UCL surgery on another prominent Blue Jays pitcher, Alek Manoah, and a similar procedure represents the worst-case scenario for Romano if his recurring elbow problem is due to more than just inflammation. Romano would miss at least the next year of action recovering from an internal brace procedure (one of Meister’s specialties), or the standard Tommy John surgery would likely keep him out of action until Opening Day 2026.
Today’s news is the latest twist in what is increasingly looking like a lost season for Romano, who has a 6.59 ERA over 13 2/3 innings and 15 appearances. These underwhelming numbers came in between his current IL stint and another season-opening IL stint due to elbow inflammation, as Romano didn’t pitch in his first game until April 16.
Romano has been Toronto’s closer for the last three seasons, posting a sterling 2.37 ERA over 186 innings while recording 95 saves in 106 chances. While Romano could be homer-prone, and his 9.2% walk rate was nothing special, his 30.3% strikeout rate was powered by a strong one-two punch of a fastball/slider combination, helping him receive All-Star nods in both 2022 and 2023.
More will be known after Romano’s consultation on Tuesday, but an extended absence could potentially end his tenure with the Jays. Romano is under arbitration control through the 2025 season, though if his 2025 campaign is now in jeopardy altogether, the Blue Jays could consider not even tendering him a contract this winter. Perhaps the Jays might more likely explore a two-year extension with Romano, locking him up for 2025 and what would hopefully be a fully healthy 2026 season.
Even if the elbow problem proves to be relatively minor, it almost surely means that Romano will still be a Blue Jays beyond the July 30 deadline, as it doesn’t seem likely he’ll be back on a big league mound in a month’s time. A healthy Romano might have been a prime deadline trade chip for a Jays team that is looking to be falling out of contention, though obviously, having a healthy and effective Romano in 2024 could’ve greatly altered Toronto’s fortunes. With Romano, Yimi Garcia, Erik Swanson, and Tim Mayza all waylaid by injuries and/or ineffectiveness, the Jays’ relief corps has a 4.78 ERA, ranking third-worst in baseball.
More must-reads:
- The best MLB closers of all time
- Red Sox top prospect to undergo season-ending wrist surgery
- The '1992 & 1993 Toronto Blue Jays' quiz
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Brewers achieve new franchise record after improbable win
The 2025 Milwaukee Brewers can now claim to own an impressive franchise record that's indicative of the success of the season so far. Now a new franchise record, the Brewers' 6-5 extra-inning win over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday marked the team's 14th consecutive victory. Just when it looked like Milwaukee was about to fall for the first time in the month, the Brewers scored one in the ninth to tie the game and then had to wait until the 11th inning to hold on for the win. And the way the Brewers avoided defeat required plenty of luck as well. With one out and two runners on base, the Reds were in the process of turning a double play that would've won the game. However, the throw to first for the third and final out had too much on it and got by Cincinnati first baseman Spencer Steer. This allowed a run to cross home plate, tying the game 2-2. Then, in the 10th, Milwaukee took the lead thanks to the ball getting away from Jake Fraley in left field. While Fraley's error wasn't enough to secure the record-setting win, the game would end soon enough when the Brewers sent Andruw Monasterio to the plate at the top of the 11th. Entering the game with only one home run all season and just four in his career, Monasterio crushed a pitch to the fair side of the foul pole in left field. Monasterio's three-run shot became the game-winning blast despite Cincinnati almost mounting a comeback of their own by scoring a pair of runs themselves in the bottom of the inning. Milwaukee, still amid its amazing streak, is now 78-44 as the best team in baseball and holds a nine-game lead in front of the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central. Next up is one more at the Great American Ballpark on Sunday afternoon. And if the Brewers achieve another series sweep, they will look to increase their advantage in the division at Wrigley Field. But no matter when the streak comes to an end, this Brewers team is shooting for the most wins in a season. Ninety-seven wins is the goal to become the winningest regular-season Brewers team ever, surpassing the 2018 club. Just seven years ago, that 2018 Brewers team set a new standard for the franchise in terms of a top single-season win total, going 96-67 in the regular season before falling in the National League Championship Series. Before that, the only Brewers team to ever win a league championship was the 1982 squad, which won 95 games and the AL pennant before losing the World Series in seven games.
Shane Steichen dropped a big hint about the Colts’ QB battle
The Indianapolis Colts have yet to name their starting quarterback for the 2025 season, but coach Shane Steichen may have dropped a big hint about who the choice may be. Steichen said Saturday that he was close to making a decision between Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson in the ongoing camp battle. He may have tipped his hand, however, when answering a question about what traits he was looking for in his starter. “I think it’s the most consistent guy,” Steichen said, via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. “I really do, because at the end of the day, you’ve got to be able to move the football consistently up and down the field, and making good decisions. You know what I mean? I mean, at the end of the day, you can have splash plays, but if you’re doing that sparingly and up and down. … I think it’s got to be on a consistent basis, to get to where we want to go.” The knock on Richardson all along has been his inconsistency, and it is a bad sign for his prospects that Steichen put such an emphasis on that as part of his answer. Richardson’s physical talents are undeniable, but his decision-making has left something to be desired, and the offense has at times stalled out with him at the helm of it. Jones does not bring Richardson’s big-play potential, but would likely leave the Colts with a better idea of what they will get every Sunday. Richardson has put in extra work to try to win the job, but has been sidelined for a large part of the offseason with a shoulder injury, coupled with a dislocated pinky suffered during the preseason opener. It has also been suggested that Jones entered camp as the favorite, so Richardson had to play well enough to supplant him. Jones started Saturday’s preseason game and went 7-of-11 for 101 yards. Richardson went 6-of-11 for 73 yards, but he had one big play negated due to a penalty. The Colts ultimately lost 23-19 to the Green Bay Packers.
Dallas Cowboys' top-rated players for NFL preseason Week 2 vs. Ravens
A 31-13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens dropped the Dallas Cowboys to 0-2 this preseason. While the records don't matter, it's still unsettling to see the Cowboys lose a game in such fashion. As was the case in their Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the Cowboys were bullied at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. They also saw quarterback Joe Milton III continue to struggle with accuracy. The good news, however, was that several players stood out with solid individual play. Here's a look at which Cowboys graded the highest on offense and defense, according to PFF. Cowboys top-5 rated players on offense Princeton Fant, TE (83.4) Malik Davis, RB (74.6) Jonathan Mingo, WR (70.3) Deuce Vaughn, RB (67.1) John Stephens Jr., TE (66.2) The offense was responsible for just six points, but there were still some bright spots. Princeton Fant had a 33-yard reception and held his own in blocking. Malik Davis showed some burst when he was on the field, and Jonathan Mingo had an excellent catch to set up a field goal. Unfortunately, Mingo was injured on the play but has been one of the bright spots throughout the offseason. Cowboys top-5 rated players on defense Andrew Booth, CB (91.8) Troy Pride Jr., CB (83.8) Jack Sanborn, LB (79.2) Earnest Brown IV, DT (76.7) Kemon Hall, CB (75.6) Andrew Booth not only led the way on defense, but was the highest-graded player on the team. Two other cornerbacks, Troy Pride Jr. and Kemon Hall, made it into the top five as well. Linebacker Jack Sanborn and defensive tackle Earnest Brown IV were there as well. Sanborn had three tackles while Brown recorded two. —
After Watching the Film, Critical Assessments Arise Regarding the Raiders
HENDERSON, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders began the preseason with a record of 0-1-1 after losing to their former Bay Area rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, last night. I had the opportunity to review the film today, as did Pete Carroll. After discussing it with him, several observations emerged that can only be made with the clarity of hindsight. In our latest episode of the Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast, we take you to today’s joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers to highlight specific players who had standout performances, those who faced challenges, and those who may have secured a spot on the roster. You can watch the entire podcast below: Pete Carroll’s leadership has been phenomenal for a franchise desperate for a winner. He has been the exact prescription the Raider Nation needed After watching the film of the loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Carroll addressed several questions, and below is a partial transcript of his responses. Head Coach Pete Carroll Q: I was curious on what your thoughts are on the play of your linebackers and your quarterbacks last night? Head Coach Pete Carroll: "Thought the linebackers were really downhill, really aggressive, flashy. I really liked the way those guys played. I thought we took a step forward in the run game and just attacking line of scrimmage like we want to. We played to the nature of our players, I thought, which is really good because we're aggressive in the tackling, and that showed up. Geno [Smith] was on the money. He was right on everything. Tempo was good. I thought Aidan [O'Connell] continued to little bit -- we're not quite as fast when he's playing. We don't play as quick from huddle to the snap, still trying to work that out. And he made a poor choice on the throw for the pick, unfortunately. It was a crucial time, that was tough. Just the guy was covered, and if he had to it throw away or take off, we would have preferred that." Q: I wanted to ask you about Geno Smith. Back when the two of you were in Seattle when he was playing backup to Russell Wilson, was there ever a time or a moment in practice or in the meeting room where you kind of had this idea that, if given the opportunity like he has the last few years he was in Seattle, now in Las Vegas, that he can be this quality star? Was there ever a moment when he was a backup under Russell that kind of gave you that idea that Geno had that potential? Coach Carroll: "Yeah, I think it was probably in the middle of those first couple of years, and you'd just see him maintain the competitive edge because it's kind of hard to believe that a guy could compete like he's going to play. What I keep telling you is the very next play, he knew he could be in. He seemed like he held onto that long enough, I sensed that and respected that. And his arm talent was always there, the ability to throw and rip the ball, so I was cheerleading for him. And that's kind of when he finally got his chance, I might have been his biggest cheerleader because he had waited and deserved it, and he came in and played really well and almost won a game that way, and then played well the next couple weeks. That was, at the time, when he finally got his chance, and he got out there, he demonstrated it, but you could sense it earlier than that just because he was so dedicated and he looked so good in practice all the time." Q: Obviously your offensive line has been performing well, but there's a clear drop off between the first and second team. How concerned are you about that second string offensive line? Coach Carroll: "Well, we're just so young on the second group. It's just going to take time. We feel like we move well. We have good movement by the young guys. They get out of their stance, and they get on people well. We're just not as accurate with our calls. We're not as clear with our technique stuff, but that takes time. And so I'm not worried about that. Athletically, we're okay, and we just need to find our consistency, and that's just going to take time. They won't play all at the same time very often. They'll spot in, and they'll have the benefit of experienced guys making calls around them and helping them play better. And so I think that the individual development is pretty good. As a group, they're still learning. That's going to take a bit." We'd appreciate it if you would follow us on X @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr , and let’s talk about the Silver and Black’s training camp and Pete Carroll’s comments.
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