The Blue Jays’ Bullpen Is Tired, and Their Struggles Are Coming at the Worst Time

August has seen the Blue Jays' bullpen's worst performance of the season so far. Their 4.76 ERA in the month doesn't look as bad as they've really been, thanks to 34-year-old Tommy Nance. He has pitched better than ever before since his call-up in mid-July. Out of the nine bullpen arms that threw more than four innings in August, Nance was the only one to finish the month with an ERA under 4.00. His 6 1/3 innings and 1.35 ERA in July were surprisingly bested by his August numbers. The righty threw 15 1/3 innings, posting a 0.59 ERA and a 17:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Nance hasn't finished a season with better than a 4.09 ERA in his career, so the Blue Jays need to ride this success through September. However, like many other arms in the bullpen, he's nearing his previous career high in innings and may see some regression, as is normal toward the end of the season. Between his outings in the minors and majors, Nance is at 53 2/3 innings, just short of the 55 1/3 he threw in 2022 and '24. The rest of the bullpen has also been heavily taxed, and their performances are showing the results of it.

Yariel Rodríguez excelled during the first half of the season, posting a 2.47 ERA in 47 1/3 innings, but that number increased significantly due to a 7.71 ERA in 17 1/3 innings in August. Control was a massive issue for the 28-year-old in August, resulting in nine walks to just eight strikeouts. He also allowed hitters to bat .273 against him. Rodríguez had been a starting pitcher before this season, having started for two seasons in Japan and last season with the Blue Jays. He moved to the bullpen due to a surplus of starters the team had early in the year and Bowden Francis's late-season success in 2024. Early on, Rodríguez saw positive results in his new role, but as the season has progressed, the second-year pro has struggled to maintain his success.

Brendon Little has spent most of the season as the primary left-handed option out of the bullpen, in part because Eric Lauer moved into the starting rotation full-time after Francis's injury. Lauer had been a long reliever and another go-to option against left-handed batters early in the season. He was successful in that role, posting a 0.96 ERA in 18.2 innings.

With the extra workload, Little has pulled within 15 innings of his career high as a reliever, although he threw 101 1/3 innings as a starter in 2018. The lefty's ERA this season has steadily grown each month since June. He finished June with a 3.75 ERA, but then posted ERAs of 4.50 and 5.23 for the next two months. The Blue Jays tried to ease Little's workload by calling up Mason Fluharty and Justin Bruihl at different times, but neither has been successful as Little was at his best.

Fluharty has a 4.94 ERA in 47 1/3 innings, and Bruihl a 5.68 ERA in 12 2/3 innings. Both are currently with Triple-A Buffalo. The Blue Jays recently added another southpaw, Ryan Borucki, who was designated for assignment by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Borucki was drafted by the Blue Jays in 2012 and received his first call-up with Toronto in 2018, although he's struggled mightily over his eight-year MLB career. Little and Borucki should receive some assistance from Lauer returning to the bullpen; Schneider announced on Monday that the Blue Jays would return to a five-man rotation.

Major trade acquisitions, Seranthony Domínguez and Louis Varland have fallen short of expectations since arriving in Toronto. Domínguez has a 4.22 ERA in August, his worst since May (7.15), and he struggled with control, allowing nine free passes compared to 11 strikeouts. Varland had been outstanding all season, but struggled in August, posting a 6.00 ERA and allowing batters to hit .304 off of him. Domínguez's 55 1/3 innings pitched aren't near his career high of 76, set as a starter in the minors in 2013, but he hasn't exceeded 60 innings since 2018. Like Rodríguez, Varland also started his major league career as a starting pitcher, but he is beginning to see the toll of a full season as a reliever, as this is his first season in a permanent bullpen role.

Chris Bassitt addressed the bullpen's workload in a recent interview, saying, "... there's probably a lot of hatred, so to speak, on the bullpen, but I mean, those guys are tired." This issue may be why the rest of the bullpen has struggled, despite only ranking 12th in MLB in innings pitched (509 1/3). The problem is that the Blue Jays' bullpen has had a few injuries, and minor-league call-ups haven't performed well, forcing manager John Schneider to rely heavily on many of the same relievers all season. 

The Blue Jays' bullpen suffered a massive blow last weekend when it was announced that Yimi García would need season-ending surgery on his right elbow to remove scar tissue near a nerve. The righty had a 3.86 ERA through 21 innings this season. Another costly loss has been that of Nick Sandlin, who hasn't pitched since early July. He posted a 2.20 ERA through 16 1/3 innings. There is hope that once Sandlin's anti-inflammatory injection takes full effect, he will be able to resume throwing, but his chances of contributing again this year are slim. 

The Blue Jays' most recent call-ups have been Borucki and Dillon Tate, both of whom can help ease the bullpen's workload. Tate has struggled with control over his 6 1/3 innings this season, allowing seven free passes.

Considering Toronto's narrow lead over the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in the AL East race, we may see a few more prospects get their shot at the big league to try to assist the Blue Jays in winning their first AL East title since 2015. Will we see highly-rated prospect Trey Yesavage this month? It's far from a sure thing, but fans should be excited about the possible debut of the future face of the franchise.