Jake

Bloss

Bloss was working his way back at Triple-A Buffalo from last year’s UCL surgery on his right elbow before suffering this setback. The unfortunate news here is that absences from shoulder injuries of this nature are typically measured in months, not weeks, which likely extinguishes any hope of him pitching for Toronto in the second half.

He struck out one and walked one while throwing 62 percent of his pitches for strikes. The bigger news was that Bloss saw 94.9 mph on his sinker and 96.3 mph on his four-seam fastball, which were both up by about three mph. He struggled to command the sinker, but that kind of velocity bump, which he held throughout the game, would be big news for the 25-year-old right-hander. He could be an option in the Blue Jays’ rotation after the break.

Bloss is making his way back from Tommy John surgery, so he also walked two and struck out three in his four innings. He threw 39 of 65 pitches for strikes, and all of his damage came on a two-run home run from Dustin Harris. This was Bloss’ first start at Triple-A after making three starts in Single-A and one start in Double-A. With Max Scherzer (back) continuing to battle injuries, Bloss could be an option for the Blue Jays over the summer.

He struck out four. Bloss underwent surgery almost exactly a year ago. He’ll likely remain in Triple-A once his rehab is complete, but he could be an option as a starter for the Jays during the second half of the season.

Tiedemann was widely regarded as one of baseball’s premier pitching prospects just a few years ago before a cascade of significant arm injuries stalled his career. The 23-year-old southpaw was shut down from throwing earlier this spring after experiencing renewed elbow soreness. At this point it’s impossible to forecast whether he’ll be able to stay healthy long enough to make a sustained impact at the highest level.

It figures to be a season-ending procedure for Bloss, who hit the minor league injured list earlier this month with a right elbow issue. It’s unclear whether it’ll be a traditional Tommy John operation or an internal brace procedure. The 23-year-old pitching prospect came over last July at the trade deadline as part of the Yusei Kikuchi trade with the Astros. There should be an exact return timetable following the surgical procedure.

Bloss will undergo further evaluation and imaging to determine the extent of the issue and won’t make his next start at Triple-A Buffalo. There should be an update on his status at some point in the coming days. The 23-year-old righty made three starts last year for the Astros before being shipped to the Blue Jays last July at the trade deadline as part of the Yusei Kikuchi deal.

The expectation was that Walker would land a spot in the Jays’ Opening Day bullpen after he was signed to a major league deal over the winter, but he’ll begin the season as a depth option at the Triple-A level instead despite posting a solid 3.86 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a 6/3 K/BB ratio over seven innings during Grapefruit League action.

Bloss got 12 missed swings among his 37 pitches, winding up with five strikeouts and a stellar 54% CSW. Toronto’s rotation is full, so Bloss appears destined to open up in Triple-A. However, it’s possible he could overtake Yariel Rodríguez to be the first guy in if something opens up.

In total, Bloss allowed just three hits on the evening and didn’t walk a batter while recording one strikeout. Austin Wells led off the game with a solo shot against him and two batters later Cody Bellinger repeated the feat. Bloss generated four swings and misses on 41 pitches on the night — three of those on his slider — while posting a CSW of 17 percent. Bloss will enter the year as the seventh or eighth option on the depth chart among starting pitchers, so it could be a while before we see him get an opportunity in the big leagues.