Blue Jays Cutting Bait With Longtime Reliever

It comes as somewhat of a surprise after the 11 years the organization has spent on the left-hander, but the recent struggles of reliever Ryan Borucki simply left the Toronto Blue Jays no choice. 

#BlueJays DFA lefty Ryan Borucki. He has been having trouble locating his slider & finding the zone lately.

Now in his 11th season with Jays, Borucki has done some of everything. He’s out of options, which likely informed this decision. Waivers next.

— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) May 31, 2022

The Jays have designated Borucki for assignment, and since he's out of options, he'll be placed on waivers.

Toronto drafted him out of high school in 2012, and he's spent parts of the last five seasons in the majors with the Jays, compiling an overall 4.47 ERA. After a fine rookie season in 2018, elbow injuries derailed his career in 2019. 

He's had an especially rough time of it this season, surrendering five walks and seven earned runs in just 7.1 innings, for an unsightly 9.95 ERA and an equally ugly 1.89 WHIP.

Borucki has posted fine numbers in the minor leagues throughout his career, with a career 3.29 ERA and 1.16 WHIP, so it's still possible another team could take a chance and put in a claim on the 28-year-old.

The Jays have recalled right-hander Trent Thornton to take Borucki's spot in the bullpen. Thornton spent the first part of the season in Toronto, and compiled a reasonable 3.52 ERA in 15.1 innings, though his 5.9K/9 is down considerably from years past, as he's averaged over 9K per 9.

Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports