Jon Rauch made his way back from an emergency appendectomy, but now the Blue Jays reliever has been shut down for the season with a knee injury.
Rauch was placed on the disabled list with torn cartilage in his right knee and is expected to eventually undergo surgery.
Rauch had an up-and-down season in Toronto, working as both a setup man and closer while throwing 52 innings with a 4.85 ERA that’s the worst of his career. He posted a decent 36/14 K/BB ratio, but Rauch served up 11 homers in just 225 plate appearances after giving up just three homers in 245 plate appearances for the Twins last year.
Toronto has a $3.75 million option or $250,000 buyout on Rauch for next season, but the free agent reliever market projects to be deep enough that declining figures to be their best move even if they wouldn’t mind having him back in 2012.