Acquired in the Yusei Kikuchi trade with the Houston Astros, right-hander Jake Bloss had made three starts for Triple-A Buffalo in August. Bloss, 23, threw 9 2/3 scoreless innings with an 8:5 K:BB. He is in his first full professional season after being a third-round pick of the Astros in 2023. In September, when the rosters expand to 28, Bloss could be brought up from the minor leagues. That’s only if the Toronto Blue Jays decide to utilize a six-man rotation, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.
Jake Bloss Could Get Call in September
The Blue Jays will miss the postseason, but they want to value the season’s final weeks by evaluating the young players on the roster. Most of those players are auditioning for roles on the 2025 roster and beyond. Toronto has been in a relaxed rush to call him up but with the roster expanding in September, he could be heading north of the border by next week.
McGrath added that the Blue Jays pushed all the starters back a day when they used reliever Ryan Burr as an opener before Ryan Yarbrough took over in Thursday’s 5-3 win. There will be one more turn of the rotation that sees the starters pitch on regular rest. However, the Blue Jays will get its starters extra rest by using the scheduled off days and turning to other pitchers, like Yarbrough, to cover bulk innings on certain days.
September Roster Expansion
Bloss is a strong candidate for a September promotion. Jonatan Clase, acquired from the Seattle Mariners, is another potential candidate to join Bloss. Clase brings speed to the base paths, which is currently lacking on the roster. Despite his batting average of .211 and .612 OPS, he is another option who could get playing time when the stakes are low. Another possible call-up is Nathan Lukes. Lukes recently returned from a thumb injury and has gone 12-for-37 since August 10. Lukes just missed making the Opening Day roster, but he could earn a promotion to the majors for a short period.
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