Do the Blue Jays Need To Change Spencer Arrighetti's Role?

With three weeks remaining in the regular season, every game counts. The Toronto Blue Jays are in the midst of a logjam, vying for the last Wild Card spot. Entering play on Tuesday, they trail the Cleveland Guardians by a game, and two other teams are within three games. With each loss carrying major consequences, the Blue Jays have to closely examine each player's performance.

That brings up Spencer Arrighetti. He came over in the trade that sent Daulton Varsho to the Houston Astros. He hasn't had a strong career, with a 4.85 ERA over three MLB seasons. The righty had a 4.60 ERA over 88 innings with 87 strikeouts and 50 walks for the Astros this season. However, he's performed worse since coming to Toronto, posting an 8.95 ERA over 15 2/3 innings, with 13 strikeouts and eight walks. Batters have also hit .254 off of Arrighetti.

Despite those struggles, the Blue Jays don't have options to replace him or to lessen his innings. Their starting rotation depth is extremely thin, with eight players on the injured list. José Berríos, Jake Bloss, and Bowden Francis are out for the season. Patrick Corbin is unlikely to return from a left teres major strain. Cody Ponce was thought to be out all season after tearing his ACL in his first start, though he could return if the Blue Jays make a deep postseason run.

Trey Yesavage and Shane Bieber are the closest to returning, possibly in late September if their recovery goes as planned. Jameson Taillon went on the 15-day injured list on September 5, and his availability for the rest of the season depends on his recovery.

With only Dylan Cease, José Soriano, and Max Scherzer healthy, Arrighetti is the only other available starting pitcher on the Blue Jays' 40-man roster with ample MLB experience. Ricky Tiedemann, CJ Van Eyk, and Chad Dallas have made a few appearances with Toronto over the last two months. However, none has stretched out past 3 2/3 innings in bullpen games.

It's safe to say the Blue Jays are in a sticky situation with their starting rotation depth and Arrighetti's struggles. They need someone to eat innings because Toronto can't afford to overextend Cease and Soriano, risking fatigue or injury this late in the season. Both are vital if the team wants to get into the postseason. The bullpen is already a revolving door with call-ups, with the Blue Jays trying to keep everyone fresh. This means Arrighetti is going to continue to be leaned on as the fourth man in the starting rotation.

It won't be pretty, as the righty has an ice-cold Baseball Savant profile, ranking in the 20th percentile or worse in five categories. One of those is expected ERA (5.29), showing he's actually had some good luck during his appearances this season. Arrighetti is also in the eighth percentile in walk rate (12.6 percent).

Blue Jays fans will likely have to endure at least two more appearances this season from the former Astro as a bulk-inning guy, whether it's starting or following an opener. Hopefully, after that, some reinforcements return, allowing the righty to move into a less strenuous relief role or be replaced and sent to Triple-A Buffalo. Given how messy the starting rotation is, Monday's 6-5 loss to the Athletics, in a game that saw Dylan Cease start, stings. That was considered an "easy win," if those exist in MLB. 

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