Blue Jays manager John Schneider announced to reporters today that left-hander Patrick Corbin is being moved to the bullpen. He was originally slated to start tomorrow’s game. That will now be started by Spencer Miles or an opener, depending on how things go tonight. Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet was among those to relay the news.
Corbin, 36, is a veteran soft-tosser at this point in his career. In the most recent offseason, he lingered unsigned until after the 2026 campaign had begun. The Jays scooped him up in early April. They had begun the season with Trey Yesavage, José Berríos and Shane Bieber on the injured list. Cody Ponce then hit the IL after he sprained the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in his first start of the season.
Though he signed late, Corbin had stretched out on his own and quickly jumped onto the big league roster. He initially provided a great help to the Jays. In addition to the aforementioned injuries, the Jays also saw Dylan Cease and Max Scherzer hit the IL. They also moved on from Eric Lauer after he struggled and complained about his role, trading him to the Dodgers. While all that was going on, Corbin posted a 3.65 earned run average over ten starts in April and May.
Since the calendar has flipped to June, things have changed. Corbin has an 8.69 ERA over his five starts this month. The Toronto rotation has also gotten healthier over the course of the season and now has Kevin Gausman, Cease, Yesavage and Bieber in four spots.
That still leaves one opening but the Jays may be able to improvise that for a bit. As mentioned, they will likely do some kind of bullpen game tomorrow with Miles and/or Corbin in bulk roles. They then have off-days on July 2nd and 9th, then the All-Star Break begins on July 13th. Perhaps they will be able to get through that stretch of play with four proper starters, while Corbin and Miles provide length on occasion. Miles has worked as a traditional reliever and a bulk guy this year with a 3.00 ERA, 24.3% strikeout rate, 7.8% walk rate and 54.3% ground ball rate in 51 innings.
After the Break, the Jays play 13 in a row, so they may have a stronger desire for a proper fifth starter at that time. Perhaps Scherzer will be able to come off the IL by then. They also have guys like Jake Bloss, Simeon Woods Richardson, Chad Dallas and Lazaro Estrada in Triple-A and could call upon one of them.
Beyond that stretch, the August 3rd trade deadline looms over the horizon. General manager Ross Atkins has mentioned starting pitching as a potential target, though the Jays will have to stay in the race between now and then. A recent six-game losing streak dropped them down in a crowded American League playoff race.
Thankfully for the Jays, lots of other clubs are struggling, so their 40-45 record is good enough to be within 2.5 games of a playoff spot at the moment. If they fall further back, they could pivot to seller position, though the club will obviously be hoping they hang in there or gain ground in the coming weeks.
Photo courtesy of Dale Zanine, Imagn Images
