Jordan Romano’s 2024 season is formally over, as Blue Jays supervisor John Schneider advised reporters (together with Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi) Friday on that Romano received’t be activated from the 60-day injured listing earlier than the common season is out. The nearer underwent an arthroscopic surgical procedure on his proper elbow in early July that got here with a post-procedure shutdown of interval of a minimum of six weeks. That preliminary timeline has now stretched into September, and whereas Romano has resumed throwing, “it simply didn’t work out with the variety of video games we now have left and what he’s going to must test off the listing with the intention to get again,” Schneider mentioned.
The information closes the guide on an altogether disastrous season for the 31-year-old, who posted a 6.59 ERA over solely 13 2/3 innings of Main League motion. Romano started the 12 months on the 15-day IL resulting from some elbow irritation that developed in Spring Coaching, and easily wasn’t very efficient as soon as he made his return to the mound in mid-April. His final look of the season got here on Could 29, as he returned to the 15-day IL shortly thereafter and there was some concern that Romano had a extra severe UCL-related damage earlier than it was determined that the arthroscopic surgical procedure was all that was required.
Schneider mentioned that Romano will preserve throwing and must be set for a traditional offseason, in order that a minimum of represents some excellent news on the longer-term well being entrance. Nevertheless, it naturally leaves Romano as one of many many query marks the Jays face for 2025 as they determine the best way to rebound from a really disappointing marketing campaign. The Blue Jays must overhaul a bullpen that was one of many worst in baseball, and determining the best way to method this overhaul is trickier because the membership doesn’t precisely know what it’s getting from its former nearer.
Davidi means that the Blue Jays may even take into account non-tendering Romano if the staff is simply too involved about his well being. This would appear like a reasonably aggressive transfer contemplating how nicely Romano pitched from 2020-23, and the right-hander isn’t overly costly on paper — Romano is getting into his closing 12 months of arbitration eligibility, and his lack of manufacturing in 2024 signifies that he’ll obtain a reasonably minimal increase over his present $7.75MM wage. That mentioned, the roughly $8MM Romano figures to land in 2025 wage may very well be put to raised use on relievers who’ve fewer damage considerations hanging over them heading into one other season. Pursuing a commerce (albeit a sell-low sort of commerce) or a non-tender may also be viable if Toronto doesn’t plan to retain Romano as soon as he turns into eligible totally free company.
