Dylan Cease strikes out eight in no-decision

Jeff Hoffman and Louis Varland finished up the four-hitter. Cease allowed three hits and walked one in his fourth scoreless start this season. He’s second in the majors with 137 strikeouts and 11th with a 2.79 ERA. He’s given up five homers, which is tied with Ranger Suarez for the lowest total among qualified starters. Although Cease finished second in the AL Cy Young balloting in 2022 and fourth in the NL balloting in 2026, the All-Star nod he’s sure to pick up on Saturday will be the first of his career.

Cease had trouble finding the zone in the first inning against the Rangers. It cost him, with a run scoring on a base hit after two free passes. He settled down for three quiet innings before running into more trouble in the fifth. Cease walked a batter and allowed a run in on two hits with two outs in the inning. He couldn’t make it out of the frame, ending his day at 107 pitches. Both inherited runners would come in to score, adding two more runs to his line. He struck out 10 to help limit the damage. The 30-year-old right-hander will look to bounce back when he takes a 3.02 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and a 128/40 K/BB ratio across 83 1/3 innings into a start against the Mariners in Seattle on Friday.

It’ll be made up on August 6. There’s actually a ton to unpack here from a fantasy fallout standpoint. Toronto’s scheduled starter, Dylan Cease, will presumably take the ball for Monday’s series opener against the Astros. That would delay Shane Bieber’s return from the injured list for his season debut until Tuesday’s showdown in the Rogers Centre. Cease would close out a two-start week with a showdown against the Rangers at home. Meanwhile, Shota Imanaga gets the ball on Monday against the free-falling Mets as a part of a two-start week that wraps up with a road tilt against the Brewers.

In his second start back from the injured list, Cease allowed four hits and walked four while striking out seven. He posted 16 whiffs on the day with a 15 percent swinging strike rate, but he threw only 61 percent of his pitches for strikes. He really struggled to land both his curve and changeup for strikes, but, luckily, he threw enough strikes with his four-seam fastball, and his slider missed more than enough bats. He gets a tougher test against the Cubs next week, but he’s obviously somebody you’re keeping in your lineups.

Cease was excellent in allowing just three hits and one walk, but Zach Wheeler matched him to make it a 1-1 game after six. Those rostering Cease should still be very encouraged, as he allowed just four hard-hit balls and one walk while getting is 18 outs tonight. He’ll face the Red Sox in Boston next week.

Cease returns from a two-week stint on the injured list recovering from a left hamstring strain to take the ball against the Phillies at the Rogers Centre on Tuesday night. The 30-year-old upper-echelon fantasy starter holds a strong 3.05 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 92/26 K/BB ratio across 62 innings over 11 starts in his Blue Jays debut this season. His return will provide a much-needed lift for Toronto’s rotation mix and fantasy managers alike.

Schneider also added that Max Scherzer (forearm) will be activated to start Wednesday’s series finale at the Rogers Centre with Trey Yesavage being pushed back to Friday’s showdown against the Yankees. The influx of veteran reinforcements also pushes rookie standout Spencer Miles back to a long relief role. It’s a stunning turn of events that Toronto has a legitimate five-man rotation again after piecing things together for most of the last two months. Cease threw 75 pitches in his final rehab outing and shouldn’t have any limitations in his return from the injured list.

Scherzer threw 3 2/3 innings in a minor league rehab start at Triple-A Buffalo on Friday and completed a bullpen session on Sunday morning without any issues. With Scherzer and Dylan Cease both likely to return to the rotation during the upcoming week, the Jays will have some decisions to make on how to structure their rotation going forward.

The veteran also struck out six and walked one while throwing 50 of his 75 pitches for strikes and hitting 99 mph on the radar gun. The results clearly aren’t great, but Cease had solid command and showed his usual velocity, and those are the main concerns. He should be able to rejoin the Blue Jays rotation next week and be up over 80 pitches in that outing.

Cease figures to jump back into Toronto’s rotation next week assuming he makes it through Thursday’s tune-up outing without any complications. The 30-year-old upper-echelon fantasy starter hit the injured list with a mild left hamstring strain back on May 25. His return comes at a key point for the Blue Jays, who have struggled to cobble together innings during his absence.