Bowden

Francis

Francis could potentially be an option to operate as a multi-inning relief weapon in the postseason. The 29-year-old righty hit the injured list back in mid-June with a shoulder impingement after struggling to an inflated 6.05 ERA across 64 innings over 14 starts at the outset of the year.

The procedural move opens up a spot on Toronto’s 40-man roster ahead of the upcoming trade deadline. Francis was shut down earlier this month after suffering a setback in his recovery from a right shoulder impingement. It’s unclear at this juncture whether he’ll make it back before the regular season concludes.

The 29-year-old hurler felt a “bit cranky shoulder-wise” according to manager John Schneider, so the team will back off of him for the next 10 days in an effort to get that to calm down. It sounds like he may be facing a lengthy absence here, as even when he is cleared to resume throwing it’s going to take a while for Francis to build back up.

It’ll be the first one that the 29-year-old hurler has thrown since landing on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement in mid-June. There’s still no timeline on when Francis may be ready to rejoin the team’s starting rotation, but this will at least be a small step in the right direction.

Francis had a better outing last time out against the Phillies, but he’s really struggled in going 2-8 with a 6.05 ERA in 14 starts this season. He’ll rest up and likely aim for a return after the break. The Jays should be getting Max Scherzer back soon, but they’ll get by with Eric Lauer and Spencer Turnbull making starts for now.

Francis got through three quiet innings against the Phillies before unraveling in the fourth, walking three batters and hitting two more to bring two runs in without a hit. He’d leave with two outs and the bases loaded at 74 pitches and four strikeouts. The 29-year-old right-hander ends the day with a 6.05 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, and a 54/27 K/BB ratio across 64 innings. He’ll take on the White Sox in Toronto on Friday.

Francis gave up five hits, walked five and struck out two. The 29-year-old right-hander continues to give up plenty of power to left-handed hitters. Brooks Lee, who hadn’t hit a home run in almost a month, took him deep for a solo shot in the fourth inning. Francis’ 6.12 ERA in 60 1/3 innings this year is a far cry from his 3.30 ERA in 103 2/3 innings last year. He’s not a recommended fantasy option at this point. Francis will get the Phillies next weekend if he remains in the rotation.

Just when it seemed like Francis might be turning things around, this happens. He’s posted a 3.98 ERA in his previous four starts, lowering his season mark from 5.66 to 5.04. If he can’t bounce back and put together a nice outing Sunday against the Twins, he could find his rotation spot in jeopardy.

Francis punched out six batters on the night. After starting the day with five shutout innings, he returned for the sixth where he exited after allowing a leadoff single to Josh Smith. The 29-year-old right-hander got 12 whiffs on 75 pitches on the night — eight of them on his fastball — while posting a strong CSW of 32 percent. He’ll see if he can carry over this strong effort as he brings a troublesome 5.04 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and a 46/17 K/BB ratio (55 1/3 innings) into Sunday’s matchup against the Athletics.

Francis allowed just three hits — one of those a two-run homer by Gavin Sheets — but he walked three and threw just 49-of-75 pitches for strikes before leaving. The 29-year-old was not abhorrent in his start against the San Diego lineup, but fantasy managers don’t sign up for four innings of two-run baseball. Francis will take a 5.54 ERA into a scheduled start against the Rangers on Tuesday.