With a couple more potential injuries, the BlueJays bullpen may require a rethink. (via ShiDavidi)
DUNEDIN, Fla. – The potential for final-week-of-spring roster drama emerged suddenly for theon Wednesday, as leverage relievers Ryan Tepera and John Axford were being evaluated after experiencing elbow discomfort.
Now, though, there needs to be a wider rethinking of how to best shape a bullpen that’s perilously thin without Tepera and Axford. Further complicating matters is that Luciano again looked out of his depth in an 8-7 loss to the Atlanta Braves – surrendering an RBI single to Ronald Acuna Jr., before walking Brian McCann and Charlie Culberson on nine pitches – which isn’t surprising given that until this spring he hadn’t pitched above rookie ball.
Bringing him on with men on the corners and none out in the sixth Thursday after five strong frames from Matt Shoemaker offered an interesting measuring stick. Luciano fell behind Acuna before serving up a line-drive single, and then totally lost the zone versus McCann and Culberson. No matter what happens on that front, the protection Gaviglio’s ability to throw multiple innings offers seems all the more crucial now, especially while Clay Buchholz continues to play catch-up for a spot in the rotation.
Precisely what type of recovery both Axford and Tepera are facing – a week, a month, more? – will factor into the equation, too, which is why the assessments drawn from their evaluations have so much riding on them.
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