Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman has been on the shelf since tearing the ACL in his left knee at spring training. He was originally ruled out for the entire 2015 season, but the young starter resumed throwing in early August and looked terrific in his first minor league rehab appearance this past Wednesday at Low-A Lansing, striking out seven batters over 4 2/3 scoreless innings.
Stroman will make a second minor league rehab start on Monday and could then be cleared to join the Blue Jays’ rotation Saturday at Yankee Stadium, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.
That would be Mark Buehrle’s spot in the rotation, but Buehrle has pitched poorly in New York and could benefit from a bit of rest. Stroman would then take Drew Hutchison’s turn the next time through, giving Hutchison some extra rest. None of this is official yet, but it’s lining up nicely for the AL East-leading Jays.
Stroman, 24, posted a 3.65 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 111/28 K/BB ratio over his first 130 2/3 major league innings last season with Toronto.