Toronto manager John Schneider announced Monday that the team’s ace pitcher Dylan Cease will be sidelined on the 15-day injured list after suffering a left hamstring strain.
The 30-year-old right-handed pitcher exited Sunday’s matchup with the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates during the fifth inning after experiencing what the organization described as “mild left hamstring discomfort.”
During the game, Cease was observed shaking his left leg while pitching, prompting Schneider and head athletic trainer Jose Ministral to visit the mound to evaluate the eight-year veteran. Cease managed to get Spencer Horwitz out before Mason Fluharty took over pitching duties.
“It doesn’t look too terrible, knock on wood,” Schneider told reporters Monday. “Just trying to be smart and not have it get worse. Don’t know the exact timeline yet … hoping it’s a minimal stay.”
During his abbreviated outing, Cease allowed two runs on four hits while recording eight strikeouts and issuing one walk over 4 2/3 innings. This marked just the second occasion in 11 starts this season where he was unable to pitch at least five complete innings.
In other injury news, Blue Jays star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero was scratched from Monday’s starting lineup against the Miami Marlins due to elbow discomfort.
Guerrero sustained the injury when he was struck by a pitch on his right elbow during Sunday’s contest against the Pirates.
Schneider classified Guerrero’s condition as day-to-day.
“See how he feels as the day goes on,” Schneider explained to the media. “But didn’t want to push it with him, just in talking to him last night and today.”
Guerrero has struggled offensively this season, managing only three home runs across 53 games. The five-time All-Star is currently hitting .287 with 22 RBIs.
After signing a seven-year, $210 million deal with the Blue Jays in December, Cease has established himself as one of baseball’s most reliable starting pitchers. Over the past five seasons, he joins just three other starters – fellow Blue Jays Kevin Gausman, Patrick Corbin and Jose Berrios – in making 30 or more starts each year.
This injury represents the first time in Cease’s major league career that he will be placed on the injured list due to a physical condition.
Cease played the previous two seasons with the San Diego Padres, where he threw the franchise’s second no-hitter in 2024 while posting a 14-11 record with a 3.47 ERA across 33 starts. He recorded 224 strikeouts and earned fourth place in National League Cy Young voting.
His first five big league campaigns were spent with the Chicago White Sox. He finished as the American League Cy Young runner-up in 2022 after going 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA and a career-best 227 strikeouts in 32 starts.
Cease has achieved 200 or more strikeouts in five consecutive seasons and holds a career record of 68-61 with a 3.83 ERA over 199 starts.
