March 27, 2021

By Andrew Hendriks

Canadian Baseball Network

Given the Blue Jays' recent rash of injuries to their starters, Anthony Kay's appearance on Saturday held added intrigue.

The former first-round draft pick fired off 2 2/3 innings of seven-hit ball in the Blue Jays' 5-1 loss to the New York Yankees, allowing a pair of earned runs and throwing 39 of his 68 pitches for strikes.

Of the seven hits, five had exit velocities of 100 MPH or higher.

"I was leaving my fastball up a lot, and I couldn't make an adjustment today," admitted Kay, following his appearance on Saturday. "That's the key thing. I was pitching from behind a lot, wasn't getting ahead. Everything plays off of my fastball, and since I wasn't getting that in the zone, they were able to put better at-bats against me today than the last couple of times I faced them."

In what was likely going to be his final spring tuneup before the club heads north on Monday, Kay was lifted in the third inning after taking an 86.7 mph Estivan Florial liner off his lower right leg.

"It got me on the inner shin, but I'm doing fine now," said Kay, after his outing. "It's just a bruise. I was only supposed to go 75 pitches anyways, and I was right around that mark. They took me out for precautionary reasons."

Following Saturday's game, Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo confirmed that Robbie Ray (elbow bruise) will miss his first regular-season start in the Bronx next weekend.

With Nate Pearson (groin) and Thomas Hatch (elbow inflammation) working their way back, that leaves Toronto's pitching staff light on starters to open the year.

"There are still guys competing for that spot," said Montoyo over Zoom. "We still got Trent (Thornton), T.J. (Zeuch), and (Anthony) Kay."

Though Montoyo mentioned Thornton as an option, it's worth noting that the righty appeared in only three games last year prior to being shut down with inflammation in August.

The 27-year-old would end up requiring surgery to remove loose bodies in his right elbow and wouldn't make his first spring training appearance until March 19.

"They all have a chance," added Montoyo. “If we use Trent, we could do a bullpen day also. So we could go that route. We could also go the Kay route and the Zeuch route because they are stretched out."

With the off-day next Friday, Toronto won't require a fifth starter until their April 11 tilt against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

SHORT HOPS

-OF George Springer (oblique strain) took swings off of a tee on Saturday. The Blue Jays will evaluate how he feels on Sunday before deciding on the next move. He's considered day-to-day.

-Having made the team out of camp, OF Jonathan Davis will be making the trip north to the Bronx. As of Saturday, the right-handed swinging product of Camden, Ariz. is batting .294 (10-for-34) with a home run and seven runs scored on the spring.

-The Blue Jays entered Saturday's game with the most wins in MLB this spring. Their pitching staff also accounted for the lowest cumulative ERA (3.18) in the American League, allowing the fewest hits (148), lowest opponents' batting average (.203), and lowest overall WHIP (1.10) in the Junior Circuit.

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