Today’s game against the Tigers has been cancelled due to inclement weather. Looks like it’s going to be raining pretty much all day in Lakeland, so they’ve decided to just get in front of it and cancel now.
The cancellation bumps Bowden Francis’ first appearance of the spring. The plan is apparently to have him follow Max Scherzer tomorrow against the Cardinals. With guys barely going two innings at this point in the spring, it’s not hard to juggle and still make sure everyone gets their reps in. After that, Jose Berrios will go Wednesday against the Phillies and Easton Lucas will get his second start against Baltimore on Thursday. Friday is a split squad game, with Chris Bassitt (presumably with most of the starters) playing Detroit in Dunedin and Jake Bloss heading down to Tampa to face the Yankees.
In happier news, x-rays on Addison Barger’s hand were negative. He’ll get a few days off in all likelihood, but it shouldn’t be a major absence. That’s big for a player who’s in camp trying to make the case for a spot on the big league roster. Barger struggled in his debut last year, although he was better in August and September after a reset in Buffalo in July, slashing .214/.277/.414 (95 wRC+) in 159 PA from his recall to the end of the season. At 25 and with nearly 700 AAA PAs under his belt, there’s not a lot left for him to learn in the minor leagues, but he also doesn’t have an obvious role on the major league squad as of right now. A loud spring would probably do a lot to help convince the team to find that role for him, so it’s good that his shot won’t be totally derailed by an injury.
In other stuff, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com has a profile of Bowden Francis and what he can learn from each of the other members of the Jays’ veteran rotation. At SportsNet, Shi Davidi has his own profile, of Jake Bloss and the plan to get his development back on track after the Astros were forced to jump him up to the majors last season for lack of other starting pitching options.
Old friend Kevin Pillar has come out of retirement to sign a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers. The 36 year old spent most of last season with the Angels, where he hit well enough to hold down a job as a fourth outfielder. He’s not the gold glove defender he was in his time in Toronto, but he’s still a solid centre fielder and can still steal a base. With star right fielder Wyatt Langford shut down for a while with an oblique injury, he might get a shot to play a little early in the season. Best of luck to one of the most fun to watch Blue Jays of recent memory.