Blue Jays put Francis (shoulder) on IL, DFA Swanson in pitching shakeup

TORONTO -- There are two open spots in the Blue Jays’ rotation now.

The club significantly shuffled the roster, placing starter Bowden Francis on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Sunday) and designating reliever Erik Swanson for assignment ahead of Tuesday’s series opener against the D-backs at Rogers Centre.

In corresponding moves, righty Paxton Schultz was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo and lefty Justin Bruihl was selected to the Major League roster.

None of this comes as a total shock, but it does add to a delicate moment for the Blue Jays’ pitching staff. Francis, who’s struggled to a 6.05 ERA with 19 homers allowed in 14 starts, went down with what the club is calling a right shoulder impingement. Imaging showed inflammation but no structural damage, though manager John Schneider said the shoulder had been bothering Francis for “probably the last two or three starts.”

“Hopefully this just kind of gets him back to feeling 100 percent,” said Schneider. “And if that has a direct reflection or impact on his stuff or his location, we'll kind of see. But yeah, it just kind of got to the point where it was bugging him a little bit, and we wanted to see what's going on.”

Here comes another phase in the game of musical chairs the Blue Jays have played with their rotation.

Francis’ next turn in the rotation was set for Friday against the White Sox, and that’s now marked as TBD, with Spencer Turnbull and Schultz as bulk options. Eric Lauer will start on Wednesday -- Toronto’s usual scheduled bullpen day -- and is expected to pitch to a normal starter’s workload.

The Blue Jays have found some eye-popping success in their bullpen days since Max Scherzer went down with a right thumb injury after pitching just three innings in his first start of the season. Still, this adds urgency to his potential return.

Scherzer will get another rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday, with the goal of stretching his pitch count to 70-75 pitches. If he feels good coming out of that, a return to the Major League roster may be imminent.

That about sums up Toronto’s depth. Easton Lucas, who made four starts in Scherzer’s spot earlier this season, is currently on the Minor League IL. Alek Manoah (Tommy John) is still two months away at least. Adam Macko, the Blue Jays’ No. 14 prospect, struggled in his second start with Buffalo after returning from a knee injury.

All of it points to an even larger dependence on rotation veterans Chris Bassitt, José Berríos and Kevin Gausman. It also points to a heavy workload for the bullpen.

Which brings us to Swanson, the right-hander who’s been held in high esteem within the organization since his arrival as the centerpiece in the Teoscar Hernández trade.

Swanson’s time with the Blue Jays was turbulent beyond the arm injuries that ate away at his playing time over the past two seasons. During Spring Training 2024, Swanson had to take time away from the team after his son was hit by a car and admitted into intensive care. He was held to 39 1/3 innings last season but managed a 1.69 ERA in the final month.

This year, it was a nerve entrapment in Swanson’s throwing hand that kept him away until June 1. He pitched to a 15.19 ERA in 5 1/3 innings since being activated. The Blue Jays couldn’t afford to wait for him to get back on track this time.

“Tough conversation with him yesterday and today,” said Schneider. “... He’s been through a lot, obviously, in the last couple years, both on and off the field. [He’s] a guy that we all -- myself, especially -- we hold in a very high regard as a person. It kind of happens in the game when things aren't going your way, and he understands that part of it. [But] it's still hard to move on from a guy like that that's meant a lot for [us] the last couple of years.”

The ascension of Yariel Rodríguez as a high-leverage arm, as well as great rookie campaigns from Braydon Fisher and Mason Fluharty, forced the Blue Jays’ hand even further. But this is still a “matter of circumstance,” as Schneider put it. Optimizing every available bullpen spot is far from a choice for a contending team with two holes in its rotation.