Spencer

Miles

Schneider also added that Max Scherzer (forearm) will be activated to start Wednesday’s series finale at the Rogers Centre with Trey Yesavage being pushed back to Friday’s showdown against the Yankees. The influx of veteran reinforcements also pushes rookie standout Spencer Miles back to a long relief role. It’s a stunning turn of events that Toronto has a legitimate five-man rotation again after piecing things together for most of the last two months. Cease threw 75 pitches in his final rehab outing and shouldn’t have any limitations in his return from the injured list.

Miles entered after Braydon Fisher’s scoreless first and allowed just two hits into the sixth inning. He departed with one on and one out in that frame, and Pete Alonso hit a two-run homer off Jeff Hoffman to get Miles charged with a second run. Miles moved to 3-1 with a 3.54 ERA, which is incredible for a Rule 5 pick whose professional experience had consisted of 10 1/3 innings in the Complex League and 4 1/3 innings in Low-A ball coming into the year. He’s probably going back to the bullpen now with the Jays getting veterans back and also having two days off coming up.

Braydon Fisher will take the ball as Toronto’s opener. The big question is what happens to Miles once Dylan Cease (hamstring) and Max Scherzer (forearm) are ready to rejoin Toronto’s rotation in the near future. The 25-year-old has pitched well in a bulk relief role recently, despite getting lit up for six runs by the Orioles last weekend. He’s a reasonable streaming option in deeper mixed leagues based on his season-long numbers, but Baltimore has had success against him and will be seeing him for the second time in less than a week, which amplifies the risk.

Miles also issued three walks on the afternoon while striking out a pair. The O’s scratched out a run against him in the second inning, then really broke the game open with five runs in the third — including a three-run blast off the bat of Colton Cowser. The 25-year-old hurler got just five swings and misses on 70 pitches, posting a CSW of 24 percent. After having considerable success out of the bullpen and behind an opener, it’s interesting that Miles struggled working as a traditional starter in this one. Perhaps he moves back to a bulk role for a rematch against the Orioles in Toronto on Saturday.

Miles gave up three hits, walked one and struck out three. He improved to 2-0 with the win. Miles has allowed one run and has 16 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings over his last four appearances. He’s not going to record strikeouts in bunches while only pitching three or four innings at a time, but he can still be viable in mixed leagues given his good ratios. He’s lined up to face the Orioles on the road on Sunday.

It’ll be reliever Braydon Fisher opening the contest before turning the ball over to Miles for an extended outing. The 25-year-old rookie has been a revelation this season with a stellar 2.17 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 29/8 K/BB ratio across 29 innings. He’s a worthwhile streaming option for fantasy managers, even in shallow mixed leagues, even if he won’t provide a ton of volume.

The 25-year-old right-hander struck out six batters on the night while scattering just two hits and one walk. The only real threat against him came in the sixth inning as the Yankees put two men on with one out, but Miles rebounded to strike out Jazz Chisholm Jr. and then got Paul Goldschmidt to ground out to quell the rally. Miles generated nine swings and misses on 63 pitches on the night, posting a strong CSW of 33 percent. He now boasts a 2.17 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and a 29/8 K/BB ratio across 29 innings on the season. Look for him to function in a bulk role again next week on Tuesday against the Marlins where he’ll make for a strong streaming option in deeper mixed leagues.

It’s a bit unclear how exactly Toronto manager John Schneider plans to deploy Miles, but he’ll factor heavily into their pitching plans either as a traditional starter or bulk reliever. It’s a challenging matchup, but Miles has held his own with a 2.55 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 23/7 K/BB ratio across 24 2/3 innings this season. He looked extremely sharp against the Tigers, tossing 3 2/3 scoreless frames with five strikeouts on Saturday in his latest long relief appearance. He doesn’t offer a ton of volume, but he’s a sneaky strong fantasy option in deeper mixed leagues as a ratio booster.

Miles took over after opener Mason Fluharty and threw 56 pitches (36 strikes) during a strong bulk relief outing on the road at Comerica Park. It’s a bit challenging to forecast whether Miles makes sense as a traditional starter for the remainder of the year, but he’s certainly shown an ability to excel in a multi-inning relief role. He’ll help fill the void left in Toronto’s rotation left by José Berríos undergoing elbow surgery. Despite his recent success, he’s not a recommended streaming option in an extremely challenging road matchup against the Yankees on Thursday.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters Berríos will undergo a procedure to address the fracture in his elbow and potential loose bodies. He also added that there may be some ligament issues that need to be addressed, but that won’t become clear until surgeons begin operating. There should be a clearer return timeline following the procedure, but fantasy managers should prepare for the possibility that he’ll miss the rest of the season. It’s another significant hit to Toronto’s rotation depth that likely ensures that Spencer Miles will get a chance to work as a traditional starter moving forward.