Blue Jays' Cease has shoulder MRI after velocity drop — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Dylan Cease underwent an MRI on his pitching shoulder to determine if and when he will pitch again this season, prompting the Blue Jays to scratch him from his scheduled Wednesday start against the Baltimore Orioles.
- Manager John Schneider told reporters Cease has been dealing with a shoulder issue for the past few weeks that includes a decrease in velocity, saying the team wanted to check whether anything is 'tied to that' and 'not expecting anything crazy.'
- Cease could still be an option for the Blue Jays' final regular-season series against the Cincinnati Reds depending on the MRI results, per Schneider.
- The Blue Jays entered Sunday at 76-79, three games behind the Chicago White Sox (79-76) for the final American League wild card spot.
- ESPN's playoff probabilities gave Toronto just a 4.7% chance of reaching the postseason at the time of the report.
Why it matters: Cease is Toronto's ace and already dealing with a velocity drop, so even a mild MRI finding could force the Blue Jays to close out a fading playoff push (4.7% postseason odds per ESPN) without their top starter. The tight window — scratch a Wednesday start, hope to use him only in the final series — leaves almost no margin if the Reds series matters.
Ask SkimNews
