Toronto Blue Jays Valuable Bullpen Piece Nursing "Forearm Fatigue" at Start of Camp

If the Toronto Blue Jays are going to come back from a last-place finish in the American League East this season, they'll need a bullpen resurgence in a big way. That's why the news on Erik Swanson coming out of camp is concerning.

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Erik Swanson (50) throws to the plate during the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in 2024. / Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays finished last in the American League East at 74-88 a year ago. Now, when you have a record like that, multiple things have to go wrong: Bo Bichette was injured and ineffective, George Springer struggled, and the bullpen produced one of the worst units in the sport.

If Toronto is going to turn it around this season, they'll need each of those things to be better, which is why the news coming out of camp on reliever Erik Swanson is concerning.

Per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com on social media:

Erik Swanson had a little forearm fatigue and may be “a little behind”, but he’s optimistic that there’s enough time for him to be ready for Opening Day.

Erik Swanson had a little forearm fatigue and may be “a little behind”, but he’s optimistic that there’s enough time for him to be ready for Opening Day. #BlueJays

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) February 13, 2025

With six weeks to go until the regular season, of course there is time for Swanson to get healthy, but anytime you hear the word "forearm" in a sentence, it immediately causes your antennas to go up.

Now 31 years old, Swanson is a six-year veteran of the Seattle Mariners and Blue Jays. He made his debut in the 2019 season with Seattle and then became an elite reliever 2022 as the Mariners made the playoffs. The M's traded him to Toronto after the 2022 season in the deal that sent Teoscar Hernandez to Seattle.

Swanson continued to be excellent for Toronto in 2023, but really struggled in 2024, going 2-2 with a 5.03 ERA in 45 games. He only threw 39.1 innings.

In addition to needing a bounceback year from Swanson, the Jays have signed relievers Yimi Garcia and Jeff Hoffman.

Related MLB Stories

RED SOX SIGN BREGMAN: After an offseason worth of conjecture, Alex Bregman finally has his new home in Boston. CLICK HERE:

NO RESTRICTIONS: Shane McClanahan is back for the Tampa Bay Rays, and he says he has no restrictions coming off TJ surgery. CLICK HERE:

CLOSING TIME: On the first day of spring training, Giants manager Bob Melvin made a major announcement about his bullpen. CLICK HERE:

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.