YIMI GARCÍA NEWS

Plays catch Saturday Garcia (elbow) began playing catch Saturday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Impact Garcia took the first step in his recovery Saturday after landing on the injured list June 17 due to right elbow ulnar neuritis. A short stint on the IL would benefit the Blue Jays, especially with Jordan Romano (elbow) having his throwing program halted. Prior to his injury, Garcia held a 2.57 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 37:7 K:BB over 28 innings.

JUNE 23 • ROTOWIRE

Blue Jays put RHP Yimi García on injured list because of a sore elbow

The Toronto Blue Jays put right-hander Yimi García on the 15-day injured list Monday because of a sore elbow, one day after the reliever left a save opportunity against Cleveland w...

JUNE 17 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lands on IL with elbow injury The Blue Jays placed Garcia on the 15-day injured list Monday due to right elbow ulnar neuritis.

Impact Garcia was forced out of his save chance in Sunday's 7-6 win over Cleveland after experiencing right elbow soreness. The MRI after Sunday's game showed no structural damage to Garcia's right elbow, but it did reveal ulnar nerve symptoms, per Hazel Mae of Sportsnet. While there was optimism that Garcia would be day-to-day with the injury, he will now be on the shelf until at least the beginning of July. With Jordan Romano (elbow) still on the IL, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Monday that Chad Green will operate as the interim closer for Toronto, per Mae.

JUNE 17 • ROTOWIRE

Day-to-day, no structural damage Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Monday that Garcia is considered day-to-day after an MRI on his right elbow revealed no structural damage but showed "ulnar nerve symptoms," H...

Impact According to Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star, the Blue Jays are describing the right elbow soreness that forced Garcia out of a save chance in Sunday's 7-6 win over the Guardians is being viewed as a "stinger." The club isn't too concerned about the injury, though Wilner notes that if Garcia hasn't made a full recovery by Friday, the Blue Jays won't hesitate to place him on the injured list. Schneider intimated that the Blue Jays will likely stay away from Garcia for at least Monday's game versus the Red Sox, with the skipper naming Chad Green as the team's interim closer for however long Garcia is unavailable. Before leaving early Sunday, Garcia had converted three consecutive save chances to solidify himself as the Blue Jays' preferred ninth-inning man while two-time All-Star closer Jordan Romano (elbow) remains on the IL.

JUNE 17 • ROTOWIRE

Exits with elbow soreness Sunday Blue Jays manager John Schneider said after Sunday's 7-6 win over the Guardians that Garcia was removed from the contest in the ninth inning with right elbow soreness, Arden Zwelli...

Impact Called upon for the save chance with the Blue Jays holding a 7-4 lead entering the top of the ninth, Garcia lacked his usual command in the relief appearance. After inducing a leadoff popout from Kyle Manzardo, Garcia surrendered a base hit to Daniel Schneemann before serving up a two-run home run to Brayan Rocchio. He then got Bo Naylor to foul out before getting lifted from the game after serving up back-to-back singles to Steven Kwan and Tyler Freeman. Nate Pearson came on with two outs and runners on the corners to put out the fire and enable Garcia to earn his 10th hold of the season, but Garcia's health now becomes the greater concern. If Garcia's elbow issue is serious enough for him to join Jordan Romano (elbow) on the injured list, the Blue Jays could turn to Pearson, Chad Green and Tim Mayza to handle any future save chances that may arise.

JUNE 16 • ROTOWIRE

Varsho hits third career grand slam; Blue Jays hold on to beat Guardians 7-6

Daulton Varsho hit his third career grand slam, Ernie Clement added a two-run home run and the Toronto Blue Jays held on to beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-6

JUNE 16 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Isiah Kiner-Falefa hits bases-loaded double in 10th, finishes with 5 RBIs as Blue Jays beat A's 6-4

Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a bases-loaded double in the 10th inning and finished with a career-high five RBIs as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Oakland Athletics 6-4

JUNE 9 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Kiner-Falefa has winning hit in 9th inning and Blue Jays beat Orioles 3-2

Isiah Kiner-Falefa drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-2

JUNE 6 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Vogelbach has 2 RBIs, Bassitt stays unbeaten against Pittsburgh as Blue Jays edge Pirates 5-4

Daniel Vogelbach had two hits and two RBIs, Chris Bassitt pitched five innings to remain unbeaten in five career starts against Pittsburgh and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Pirate...

JUNE 2 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Toronto's bullpen delivers as the Blue Jays beat the White Sox 3-1 after Manoah gets hurt

Trevor Richards and Toronto’s bullpen delivered after Alek Manoah departed because of elbow discomfort, and the Blue Jays beat the slumping Chicago White Sox 3-1

MAY 30 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Adley Rutschman's 2-run homer in bottom of the 9th helps Orioles avoid sweep in 3-2 win over Toronto

Adley Rutschman’s two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning gave Baltimore a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, enabling the Orioles — yet again — to avoid a sweep

MAY 15 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Varsho hits 2nd career slam, Rodríguez fans 6 in debut as Blue Jays beat Rockies 5-3

Daulton Varsho hit his second career grand slam, Yariel Rodríguez struck out six over 3 2/3 innings in his major league debut and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Colorado Rockies 5-...

APRIL 13 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Berríos pitches 6 2/3 shutout innings, Blue Jays beat Mariners 5-2 in home opener

José Berríos pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings, Davis Schneider hit a two-run single and the Toronto Blue Jays won their home opener Monday night, beating the Seattle Mariners 5-2

APRIL 9 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Looms as closer alternative Garcia could be in the mix for save chances if Jordan Romano (elbow) and Erik Swanson (forearm) are unavailable at the start of the season, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Impact As things stand right now, the Blue Jays have not ruled Romano or Swanson out for Opening Day, but given that they're both nursing arm injuries, nothing is assured. Garcia looms as potentially next in line to close and has had a strong spring, posting a 2.25 ERA and 7:2 K:BB over eight innings. The 33-year-old notched three saves for Toronto in 2023, producing a nice 79:15 K:BB across 66 frames along the way.

MARCH 19 • ROTOWIRE

Under contract for 2024 Garcia's $6 million option for 2024 vested Sunday during his relief appearance in Toronto's 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Angels, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

Impact Though Garcia took his fourth loss of the season while allowing two runs (one earned) on one hit in the outing, he was at least able to earn himself a guaranteed contract for 2024 in the process. Per the terms of the two-year deal Garcia signed with Toronto in November 2021, Garcia triggered the $6 million option since the relief appearance was his 110th between the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The 32-year-old right-hander will remain locked into a key late-inning role for the Blue Jays for the foreseeable future, though his path to picking up saves in the short-term became more challenging after Toronto acquired hard-throwing righty Jordan Hicks from St. Louis on Sunday to bolster the back end of the bullpen while All-Star closer Jordan Romano (back) is on the injured list.

JULY 31, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Notches one-out save Garcia recorded the final out of Friday's 4-1 win over the Angels to collect his third save of the season.

Impact Jordan Romano started the ninth inning but loaded the bases with two outs before being lifted after his lower back locked up, and Garcia was able to retire Mickey Moniak to preserve the win. An MRI on Romano's back after the All-Star break didn't reveal any structural issues, but the Blue Jays will likely send their closer for further testing to try and determine the cause of the recurring trouble. Garcia is the next man up in the bullpen -- all three of his saves on the season have come in July, and he has a 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 11:1 K:BB through 10 innings on the month.

JULY 29, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Nabs second save Garcia picked up the save Saturday against the Diamondbacks, allowing two hits while striking out one over a scoreless inning.

Impact With Jordan Romano still recovering from a lower back injury, Garcia entered the contest with a 5-2 lead in the ninth inning and got into trouble early after allowing singles to Lourdes Gurriel and Jake McCarthy. However, the right-handed reliever managed to pitch his way out of it, needing just four pitches to retire the final two batters and secure his second save of the season. Garcia is now 2-for-2 in save opportunities and has not allowed a run since June 17 against the Rangers.

JULY 16, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Secures third win Garcia (3-3) struck out two in a perfect inning of relief Sunday to pick up the win in an extra-inning victory over the Tigers.

Impact With the score tied in the ninth inning, Garcia took the mound and set down Detroit's 8-9-1 hitters before Toronto took the lead in the top of the 10th. The right-hander has two wins, a save and a hold over the course of a nine-appearance scoreless streak, and since the beginning of June, Garcia boasts a 1.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and dazzling 15:1 K:BB over 12 innings as he pushes his way back into a high-leverage role for the Blue Jays.

JULY 10, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Nabs save in extra innings Garcia earned a save against the White Sox on Thursday by retiring both batters he faced.

Impact The contest remained scoreless through 10 frames before Toronto put up six runs in the top of the 11th. Chicago came back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning and put two runners on base with one out, at which point Garcia was called upon to extinguish the fire. The right-hander needed just six pitches to do so, retiring both batters he faced for his first save of the campaign. Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano worked a scoreless 10th and picked up the victory, so there's nothing to see here in terms of Garcia's role -- he'll likely get some high-leverage work, but Romano has a near monopoly on save chances.

JULY 7, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Expected to avoid IL Garcia (knee) is expected to avoid the injured list, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

Impact Garcia hasn't pitched since experiencing right knee discomfort during a relief appearance Saturday versus the Athletics, but he should be available again out of the Toronto bullpen within the next couple of days.

JUNE 27, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Exits with knee discomfort Garcia left Saturday's relief appearance against the Athletics with discomfort in his right knee, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

Impact Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters that the injury is one that has been bothering Garcia for a while. The right-hander should be considered day-to-day, but a trip to the injured list can't be ruled out; especially if this is something that will keep Garcia out for more than a day or two.

JUNE 24, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Exits with apparent injury Garcia left Saturday's game versus the Athletics with an apparent injury, Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reports.

Impact Garcia picked up two outs before he was forced to leave the game. Jordan Romano has taken over on the mound. For now, Garcia should be considered day-to-day with further updates likely before Sunday's finale against the A's.

JUNE 24, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Hit with loss against O's Garcia (1-3) took the loss Thursday, giving up a run on four hits in an inning of relief against the Orioles. He struck out two.

Impact After getting the final out of the fifth inning, Garcia stayed in for the sixth and got tagged for three straight two-out singles to allow what proved to be the winning run for Baltimore. The right-hander has slipped out of a high-leverage role in the Toronto bullpen -- he has eight holds on the season, but only one over the last month -- and he's been scored upon in five of his last nine appearances, posting an 8.00 ERA and 1.89 WHIP despite a 12:0 K:BB through nine innings over that stretch.

JUNE 16, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Can't secure save Garcia blew the save during Sunday's 10-8 loss to the Mariners in extras, allowing one run on one hit and one walk while striking out two over 1.1 innings.

Impact Garcia replaced Anthony Bass in a one-run game with two on and two out in the eighth. He got out of the inning by striking out Taylor Trammell, who hit a grand slam earlier in the contest, and he came out for the ninth with Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson presumably unavailable after pitching Friday and Saturday. Garcia walked the leadoff hitter in the ninth and surrendered a two-out, game-tying RBI single to J.P. Crawford before getting out of the frame. It was Garcia's second blown save in as many chances, and he likely won't get too many more high-leverage outings anytime soon.

MAY 1, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Collects win after blown save Garcia (1-0) gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in the eighth inning of Thursday's 10-9 victory over the Cardinals, getting charged with a blown save but picking up the win...

Impact Few pitchers on either side fared well in the wild Opening Day contest, but it's noteworthy that Erik Swanson entered the game in fifth inning with the score tied 5-5 while Garcia got the nod in the eighth after the Jays had taken a brief 8-7 lead. If he remains the team's primary setup man in front of closer Jordan Romano, Garcia could top last year's career-high 22 holds, but he'll need to pitch better than he did Thursday to keep the spot.

MARCH 31, 2023 • ROTOWIRE