Jays promote top pitching prospect
It will be the moment future-gazing Blue Jays fans have been craving for quite some time now.
Well, one of them anyway. With starting pitchers Aaron Sanchez (finger) and Jaime Garcia (shoulder) both on the disabled list, the team will recall left-handed pitching prospect Ryan Borucki to join the team in Houston.
Barring any changes, the 24-year-old native of Highland Park, Ill., will make his majorleague debut Tuesday against the World Series-champion Astros.
The Jays top-rated pitching prospect has enjoyed a remarkable climb during the past two seasons, progressing from single-A to triple-A Buffalo.
Borucki has been particularly solid with the Buffalo Bisons this season, sporting a 3.27 ERA and notching 58 strikeouts in 77 innings.
The Jays, who beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-6 in 10 innings Sunday to split the weekend series, have been bullish on Borucki for a while, promoting him to the 40-man roster in the off-season with the intention of having the southpaw available to the big team at some point this season. A 15th-round pick by the Jays in 2012, Borucki missed all of 2013 while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
With Roberto Osuna suspended through Aug. 8, the Jays obviously need to look elsewhere for a closer. For now, they appear to have settled on Ryan Tepera.
Tepera had converted his previous six save opportunities before blowing one Sunday against the Angels.
“It takes a few opportunities to be successful (as a closer),” Jays manager John Gibbons said. “It’s not an easy inning. Some guys grow into (it), and some are never able to do it.
“Tepera’s come a long way in his career here — and fast. There were a lot of ups and downs, but he’s stuck it out. He’s filled a lot of crap roles ... for a lot of years. It’s good to see him get rewarded.”