Blue Jays Closer Jordan Romano Heads To Injured List
The Blue Jays will be without their All-Star closer for the next few weeks.
Toronto placed reliever Jordan Romano on the Injured List on Saturday with “lower back inflammation.” Nate Pearson was activated to take Romano's spot on the 26-man roster. The earliest the closer can return from the IL will be August 13th.
Romano has been battling back pain since the 2023 All-Star Break and was removed from Friday’s win over the Angels with the ailment. The righty was feeling “tightness and kind of locking up” on Friday, manager John Schneider said, mainly experiencing the pain when he was landing with his front foot during pitches.
Romano has been a lock-down closer for the Jays so far this season, leading the American League with 28 saves heading into Saturday. In 44 games this year, Romano has a 2.79 ERA, 3.30 FIP, and 51 strikeouts in 42 innings.
With the 9th inning now up for grabs for Toronto, the Jays will lean on Yimi Garcia, Erik Swanson, and Tim Mayza to fill the closer role by committee.
“I think we’d probably mix and match based on where we are in the lineup,” Schneider said.
With an open spot in the bullpen, the Jays brought 26-year-old Nate Pearson back to the big leagues. In 36 MLB innings so far this year, Pearson has a 4.75 ERA and 5.61 FIP.
Mitch Bannon is a baseball reporter for Sports Illustrated covering the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates.Twitter: @MitchBannon