It has been quite a revolving door for the Toronto Blue Jays , specifically their pitching staff, as they have tried to navigate a lengthy injured list as well as inconsistencies from players that they were counting on to show up.
That being said, another roster move came to light a mere hour before the Blue Jays kicked off their series Friday afternoon against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, as Brendon Little was recalled from Buffalo, and Chad Dallas was sent back to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
Little had been working on returning to the organization for more than two months now, as he was demoted on April 5 after a struggling start to the season. He had allowed 10 earned runs on 10 hits in under four innings to start his year, so a move down was definitely unsurprising.
However, he has been excellent with the Bisons in the 24 games he has played since leaving the Blue Jays bullpen:
23.1 Innings
32 Strikeouts
11 Earned Runs
2.31 ERA
5-0 Record
.190 Opponent's Batting Average
Toronto's beat writer for The Athletic, Mitch Bannon , spoke with the Jays' skipper after the news broke that Little would be returning to the roster:
"He's getting pretty close ... I know it's been up and down for him, but I think there's going to come a point in time where you've got to see if that stuff is going to translate back up here."
Toronto's relief staff is definitely begging for some reinforcements , and if Little can look somewhat like the workhorse he was last season, it will be a huge load off everyone's shoulders.
Blue Jays pitcher Brendon Little (54) pitches to the Colorado Rockies during the tenth inning at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Little came up in the clutch time and time again for the Blue Jays only a season ago as he pitched in nearly 80 regular-season games, pitching and recording 30 holds as he held batters to a sub-.200 batting average.
Had Toronto not had Little during the regular months when he posted a 3.03 ERA with a measly 23 earned runs, there is no telling whether the Jays could have stolen the division when the season came to a close.
At 29 years old, Little stepped into the postseason for the first time in his career. It was not an ideal debut for the reliever, but he is seeking redemption this year; he just needs to get there.
A lot of changes have been made to this team's roster in the first 2.5 months of the season, but they are rolling with the punches. Little has come through in the minor leagues, now it is time to translate that into the majors, and get the Jays back over .500.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/bluejays/onsi as Blue Jays Make Another Pitching Move Prior to Series Opener at Wrigley Field .
