Kevin Gausman #34 of the Toronto Blue Jays
Kevin Gausman, a pitcher for the Blue Jays, has been a bit slow to start this spring due to some tiredness in his throwing shoulder. However, the team doesn’t think it will affect him during the regular season.
The manager, John Schneider, said they hope Gausman will be back practicing by next Monday. Gausman himself said he’s not too worried and will be ready for the regular season.
Opening Day is coming up in about three weeks. If Gausman is healthy and ready to go, he might pitch in the first game against the Rays. But if not, they might wait until the series opener against the Astros on April 1.
In that case, Chris Bassitt might pitch on Opening Day instead. The starting rotation for the beginning of the season will include José Berríos, Yusei Kikuchi, and possibly Bowden Francis if Alek Manoah isn’t ready due to shoulder soreness.
Mitch White is also in the mix, but he needs to perform well to secure a spot on the team. Yariel Rodríguez and Ricky Tiedemann could also be options for the rotation later in the year, but they might start in Triple-A to manage their workload and recover from minor injuries.
