Kerry

Ligtenberg

He’ll rest for a couple of days before a decision is made on his next appearance. The Jays aren’t considering shutting him down at this point.

Ligtenberg made things worse last year by not cutting back on his running despite the recommendations of doctors. Ligtenberg didn’t run at all this offseason, opting for the bike and the Stairmaster instead. ''I feel 20 to 30 times better than I did at the end of last season,’' he said. ''It was painful for me just to play catch last year.’' Ligtenberg will open the season in middle relief.

Ligtenberg might be day-to-day for the rest of the season. He’s little more than a mop-up man at this point.

Ligtenberg’s hip problem originally put him on the DL back in June and has probably contributed to his 6.58 ERA.

Yocum said he won’t be risking any further damage to his hip. His ERA, though, might rise even further.

This should officially make Jason Frasor the No. 2 man in the Toronto pen. Ligtenberg’s ERA jumped from 1.98 to 5.27.

The Orioles won by seven runs, so Jorge Julio was not needed.

Ligtenberg will stay with the Diamondbacks and pitch at Triple-A Tucson.

Ligtenberg’s history of success should quickly earn him another opportunity, especially since he’ll only cost the minimum. He wasn’t that bad this spring, allowing five runs in 10 innings.

With his velocity still down because of his hip problems, the Blue Jays chose to swallow Ligtenberg’s guaranteed $2.5 million salary. Though he struggled last season, Ligtenberg is likely to latch on somewhere before long.