Nate Pearson Returns to Triple-A with Shutout Inning
Nate Pearson saw his first true game action in almost two months.
Pearson returned to organized baseball with a clean inning of work for Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday. Starting Buffalo's afternoon game against Rochester, Pearson finished with 13 pitches, one inning, no runs against, and one strikeout.
Pearson faced just three batters, working against Rafael Bautista, Jake Noll, and Washington Nationals' top prospect Keibert Ruiz. Pearson began his outing with a seven-pitch strikeout of Bautista and notched a quick groundout and popout to finish his work. Eight of the righty's 13 pitches fell for strikes.
Pearson looked "mighty good," per Buffalo News' Mike Harrington, hitting 100 on the radar gun four times.
Nate Pearson, the @BlueJays’ top prospect and @MLB’s No. 7 prospect, tossed a clean inning in his first game action since June 16.
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 14, 2021
The right-hander flashed his overpowering fastball in his return, reaching 98 mph on the radar. ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/bZdmoL4quf
Pearson has been working back from a sports hernia injury, pitching in complex and simulated game settings before Saturday's start. The organization struggled to initially identify Pearson's groin injury, which has flared up throughout the 2021 season, and sought multiple medical opinions before the "relieving" diagnosis, Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins said.
Meeting with the media at the end of July, Atkins said Pearson will be throwing in a bullpen role for the rest of this season and could be an MLB relief option in the near term.
"If I want to envision Nate Pearson coming to the big leagues," manager Charlie Montoyo said, "I'm hoping either the sixth or the seventh inning and throws 98/99. That would be great."
The long-term plan remains for Toronto's former top prospect to be a rotation piece, but he could be a valuable weapon for a Blue Jays bullpen that lacks high-velocity swing and miss.
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Mitch Bannon is a baseball reporter for Sports Illustrated covering the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates.Twitter: @MitchBannon