BRADENTON, Fla.—If there was any lingering doubt about Kevin Gausman’s availability for the start of the regular season, it was erased on Monday afternoon.
The Blue Jays right-hander looked dominant in his first — and last — outing of the spring. There didn’t appear to be much rust after shoulder fatigue forced a late start to camp, but there certainly was a lot of swing-and-miss.
Gausman struck out three of the four Pittsburgh Pirates batters he faced in the first inning. In the second and third, he struck out four more. He allowed three hits (including one on a makeable play) without issuing a walk across three-plus frames.
It was expected to be the final major hurdle Gausman had to clear before securing a spot on the opening-day roster. If he wakes up on Tuesday feeling good, he’ll start either the fourth game of the season against the Rays in Tampa or the following series opener in Houston.
“We’ll see how I feel tomorrow, how I bounce back,” said Gausman, who sat around 95 m.p.h. with his fastball and consistently went to his splitter for strikeouts. “That will be a big question mark, then we’ll talk and see what the next step is.”
The Jays are essentially deciding that 75 per cent of Gausman is better than 100 per cent of Mitch White or any potential replacement. Gausman tossed 52 pitches in Monday’s 4-3 loss to the Pirates, which means he should be able to throw 70 to 75 in his season debut.
That’s still about 25 pitches shy of where Gausman would typically be at this time of year. His stamina will be limited, but the Jays appear intent on letting him get stretched out at the big-league level instead of remaining in Florida for extended spring work.
Gausman initially seemed unlikely to be available for the start of the season. He was temporarily shut down in early March after his shoulder failed to bounce back as expected following bullpen sessions. He didn’t return until March 20, when he threw two innings in a simulated game.
The other four members of the rotation — José BerrÃos, Chris Bassitt, Yusei Kikuchi and Bowden Francis — have made at least five appearances this spring, including minor-league games. Gausman hadn’t thrown in one until Monday, but exceeded expectations by pitching into the fourth.
“He looked like Kevin,” Jays manager John Schneider said. “Start to finish, everything: delivery, stuff, execution ... Today was an important day for him, and for us. He looked great.”
Despite Monday’s progress, it’s evident that the Jays are taking a calculated risk by rushing Gausman to the big leagues. He hasn’t had enough time to get properly stretched out, and opportunities to refine his stuff were limited. A process that normally plays itself out over several weeks of spring training will now have to occur during the season.
That’s far from ideal, but Gausman has been down this road before.
In 2019, he tossed just 5 1/3 spring innings for the Atlanta Braves, but managed to start the season on time. He also had abbreviated spring trainings during the pandemic and a lockout.
Throughout this spring’s setback, Gausman remained optimistic that he would be ready by opening day, and the Jays would have had to pry the ball out of his hands to keep him off the roster. They trust the 11-year veteran to make the decision because he knows his body better than anyone else.
“If this was my first year going in as a full-time starter, I wouldn’t be too happy with where I’m at,” said Gausman, who got eight swings and misses from the Pirates. “But I know what I need to do, the boxes I need to check daily to be right for when games matter, and that’s a couple days away now (Thursday’s season opener in Tampa).
“It’s unfortunate that this happened in spring, that I got pushed back a little bit, but it seems like I’m not going to miss much time. That’s good, and if we need to build me up over my first two starts, that’s OK.”
When the Jays announced Gausman’s injury earlier this spring, their season — or at least the start of it — was at risk. He’s their most valuable arm, and if they intend on going anywhere this year it will require another strong season from their No. 1 starter.
Well, the club can finally take a deep breath and relax. Barring an unexpected setback on Tuesday morning, Gausman appears to be getting the green light to start the season on time. Crisis averted, at least for now.
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