TORONTO -- Erik Swanson’s path back to the big leagues just hit another unfortunate detour.
The veteran reliever was scheduled to pitch for the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays on Tuesday, but felt some right forearm soreness while throwing. He’s now flying back to Toronto, where he’ll meet with the Blue Jays’ medical staff to determine the next steps.
“It kind of crept up,” John Schneider said. “All of his reports from throwing were good. It kind of crept up yesterday just playing catch.”
Swanson has been dealing with median nerve entrapment since Spring Training, which was a diagnosis that came later in camp. In February, his start to camp was slightly delayed as he dealt with forearm fatigue, so this is clearly something that both Swanson and the Blue Jays are still trying to lock down.
There’s never a good time for a setback, but this is particularly tough for Swanson, who has been building up slowly for a return and could provide such a needed boost to this bullpen.
Toronto’s bullpen entered Wednesday with a 3.89 ERA, which ranks 16th in MLB. The Blue Jays' strikeout rate is the best in the Majors, though, at 10.66 per nine innings, which is one of the most encouraging developments we’ve seen from this organization in 2025. Last season, they ranked 29th in that category (7.99 K/9), so this bullpen has taken a clear and defined step forward.
Adding Swanson could help take the bullpen from good to great, allowing Schneider to be more aggressive with his usage of Yimi García and Chad Green in front of closer Jeff Hoffman, who looks downright dominant so far. For now, that will be put on hold as Swanson and the Blue Jays determine what the next steps will be.
This also leaves the door open for relievers like Yariel Rodríguez, Brendon Little and Dillon Tate, who will be asked to pitch some big innings in the coming weeks. There aren’t many obvious candidates for this bullpen emerging in Triple-A Buffalo just yet, so the Blue Jays will need to keep this positive momentum rolling with the arms already on the roster.