Spencer Arrighetti hits IL with foot nerve issue

Arrighetti, who threw a bullpen session on Tuesday at Daikin Park, told the Blue Jays that he’s ready to take the ball against his former team right now, but that’s not going to happen. The 26-year-old is working his way through a nerve issue in his foot and should be ready to make his Toronto debut sometime around mid-August. He was shipped north of the border in the Daulton Varsho deal at the trade deadline.

Arrighetti is more of a long-term addition for the Blue Jays as they pivot away from contending in the current year without embarking on a full-scale teardown. The 26-year-old righty is on the shelf with right foot nerve irritation.

Varsho will switch clubhouses prior to Monday’s series opener at Daikin Park in Houston. The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon reports the Blue Jays are getting starter Spencer Arrighetti, who is currently on the injured list with right foot nerve irritation, back in the deal. Varsho shores up Houston’s significant need for a center fielder after Jake Meyers struggled to the point that he was demoted last month. The 30-year-old played a key role in Toronto’s run to the World Series last year. He’s supplied seven homers and nine steals in 365 plate appearances across 99 games this season.

Maybe this will prove troublesome going forward, but it still sounds better than most of the alternatives. Arrighetti exited tonight while warming up for the second inning after a rough first that saw him give up three runs. Cristian Javier could step into the rotation if Arrighetti lands on the IL. The rehabbing Hayden Wesneski would also be an option.

Arrighetti shut it down after a couple of throws from the mound while warming up for the second. He had a rough start to this game. Two walks and a single by the first three batters he faced brought home one run, a sacrifice fly a second and then consecutive hit batsmen with two outs a third. It took 33 pitches in all.

Arrighetti gave up one hit, walked four and struck out six. His only run allowed came in the fourth inning when he allowed an RBI single to Dylan Beavers. Arrighetti has 87 strikeouts in 87 innings this year. His ERA is 4.34, though his xFIP is 4.84. Arrighetti’s problem continues to be that he walks too many batters. He’s lined up to face the White Sox on the road next weekend.

The 29-year-old right-hander had a terrific first half for the Astros, compiling a 3.14 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and an 81/33 K/BB ratio across 86 innings through his first 15 starts. At this stage, he should be considered a viable weekly option in all mixed leagues. Spencer Arrighetti will follow him on Saturday with Hunter Brown getting the ball in Sunday’s series finale in Houston.

Arrighetti walked six, struck out two, and allowed two homers in the ugly performance. It isn’t a surprise given it came on the road against one of the highest-scoring lineups in MLB, but he has scuffled badly lately. He now has an 8.74 ERA over his past seven starts. This was his final outing of the first half. The Astros host the Orioles coming out of the All-Star break.

This was the fourth time in Arrighetti’s last five starts where he wasn’t super curveball dependent. It was also just the fifth time in 14 starts this season where he threw more fastballs than curves. That usage pattern wasn’t consistent here though. After throwing it sparingly the first time around the order – and almost exclusively trying to land it in the zone early for strikes – he went to it more heavily the second time around and was more hunting for whiffs. It helped him be more efficient, but he missed fewer bats and was pulled after just 73 pitches before he had to see Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda for a third time. Funny enough, Caminero homered in the seventh off a reliever. Still, Arrighetti pitched well and left this outing with a 3.81 ERA, 79 strikeouts, and 38 walks through 78 innings this season. He’ll close out his first half with a start against the Nationals next week.

Yikes. Arrighetti did manage to punch out seven batters in the contest, but he was completely ineffective against left-handers and that was his undoing. He served up a two-run homer to Kerry Carpenter in the third inning, then a solo shot to Colt Keith and a three-run blast to James Outman in the fourth before he was mercifully pulled. It’s the third straight rough outing for Arrighetti who has seen his ERA spike from 2.21 to 4.00 during that stretch. He’ll try to turn things around when he takes on the Rays at home next Friday.