Kikuchi Pitches 5 Shutout Innings in Triple A Rehab Start

Blue Jays starter Yusei Kikuchi reached 77 pitches in a rehab assignment outing with the Buffalo Bisons.

Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

After missing high with his fourth consecutive pitch, Yusei Kikuchi stepped off the mound and mimicked his motion home. 

As the opening walk strolled to first base, Kikuchi moved to the back of the Buffalo mound, grabbing at the rosin bag before taking his place back on the rubber.

Pitching in a rehab outing in Triple A, the Blue Jays lefty quickly corrected. He recorded the next three outs in order and returned in the Bisons' dugout. Kikuchi struggled with command at times throughout the start, but continually corrected when it mattered. He finished with five shutout innings, four strikeouts, and three walks.

Much like many of Kikuchi's MLB outings with the Blue Jays this year, most of the opposition damage was self-inflicted. Rochester recorded two hits, both harmless singles, while Kikuchi awarded three free passes and worked up his own pitch count at times. Rocking an orange and black "lacrosse night" jersey for the Bisons, Kikuchi began the first two innings with a free pass before shutting down the frames with three straight outs. Mixing his fastball, slider, and splitter, he finished with 43 strikes on 77 pitches—a 55.8% strike rate.

In 16 starts with Toronto this year, Kikuchi's 5.7 BB/9 is the highest of his big league career. Though his strikeout rate is up, an increase in free passes and homers has zapped the lefty's ability to work deep in games in the first half. Earning a 5.12 ERA and 5.8 FIP on the season, Kikuchi has lasted more than five innings in just one of his last nine MLB outings.

Kikuchi's final at-bat on Friday summarized the entire rehab start. The lefty quickly worked ahead with two swinging strikes before moving the count full with three straight misses. But, when it mattered, he pushed off the rubber, dropped a nasty slider under his opponent's bat, and marched off the mound with five scoreless frames

Flashes of effectiveness have been there throughout Kikuchi's 2022 struggles. Just like in his Friday rehab start, the control issues have been sandwiched between big strikeouts and dominant stuff. The Blue Jays could go shopping at the trade deadline for rotation help, but an effective Kikuchi would solve a lot of problems.