Blue Jays have placed Yariel Rodriguez on 15-day IL

The Toronto Blue Jays have announced that starting pitcher Yariel Rodriguez has been placed on the 15-day injured list (IL).

Rodriguez, who was signed by the Blue Jays to a five-year, $32 million contract this offseason, was pulled after just 3.2 innings yesterday versus the Kansas City Royals. Despite only giving up two earned runs, he struggled to get outs, throwing 82 pitches before being taken out of the game. As it turns out, however, he may have been removed earlier than the Jays had intended.

It was reported earlier this afternoon that the 27-year-old was dealing with back stiffness, and that is now confirmed as the case, as the Jays say the move to the IL is due to thoracic spine inflammation. There is no word about how many starts he may be forced to miss, though it has been announced that Zach Pop has been recalled from Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move.

ROSTER MOVES:

🔹 RHP Yariel Rodríguez (Thoracic Spine Inflammation) placed on 15-day IL

🔹 RHP Zach Pop recalled from Triple-A and will be active for tonight’s game pic.twitter.com/ocIgHAdCE0

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 30, 2024

Overall, Rodriguez has been solid for the Jays since joining the rotation and making his first MLB start on April 13. He owns a respectable 4.11 through four starts but has yet to pitch more than four innings as he continues to get stretched out. Over 15.1 innings on the season, he has struck out 16 while giving up eight free passes.

Pop, 27, was born and raised in Brampton, Ontario. He was part of a package the Jays received in August of 2022 that saw prospect Jordan Groshans go to the Miami Marlins. In 15 games with the Blue Jays last season, he had a 6.59 ERA. He will add some depth to the bullpen for the time being but won’t likely see action in high-leverage situations.

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