Reliever Ryan Borucki Placed on IL
The injuries just keep on coming for the Blue Jays bullpen.
Reliever Ryan Borucki was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left forearm flexor strain, the Blue Jays announced Friday evening. His IL stint is retroactive to May 11.
Manager Charlie Montoyo said Borucki played catch Friday afternoon, but experienced some tightness in his left elbow.
Borucki was initially dealing with what Montoyo called "dead arm" and had been unavailable the last few games due to fatigue. After Friday's decision to place him on the injured list, it now looks as if his elbow injury is more serious than expected.
Borucki has spent time on the IL before. He missed pretty much all of 2019 after undergoing surgery to remove a bone spur in his pitching elbow.
The lefty hadn't pitched in a game since May 7 in Houston, where he threw one inning, allowing a hit and an earned run.
Prior to his injury, Borucki was pitching well. His 4.05 ERA through 13 innings isn't an eye-popping number, but he's racked up 14 strikeouts, kept his WHIP to a low 0.90 and has a 3.10 FIP.
Toronto's had awful luck with injuries this season. Borucki's elbow trouble presents yet another challenge for a Blue Jays bullpen that is already without Rafael Dolis, Julian Merryweather, and David Phelps, among others.
If he's forced to miss extended time, lefties Tim Mayza and Travis Bergen could make more appearances in high-leverage spots that previously belonged to Borucki.
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Ethan Diamandas is a contributing writer who covers the Toronto Blue Jays for Sports Illustrated. He also writes for Yahoo Sports Canada and MLB.com. Follow Ethan on Twitter @EthanDiamandas