Blue Jays start Kay in opener vs. Royals; Romano, Stripling to IL

April 15, 2021 - 7:32pm

Toronto Blue Jays' Anthony Kay delivers a pitch. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

The Toronto Blue Jays will start left-hander Anthony Kay in Thursday’s series opener against the Kansas City Royals.

Anthony Kay starts tonight for Blue Jays, per manager Charlie Montoyo. Ross Stripling going on 10-day IL with a right flexor strain.

Tanner Roark & Tommy Milone were also considered for tonight's start. "Pretty good chance" Roark pitches in relief tonight, per Montoyo.

— Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) April 15, 2021

Kay, 26, is making his season debut and draws his first start for the club since 2019. He appeared in 13 games out of the bullpen in 2020, logging a 5.14 ERA.

Toronto had a hole to fill in its starting rotation after Ross Stripling was forced onto the injured list with a flexor strain. Stripling’s injury is the latest in a long line of early-season ailments for the Blue Jays.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said veterans Tanner Roark and Tommy Milone were also in consideration for the start and hinted Roark could be deployed in a relief role in the series opener.

Reliever Jordan Romano also landed on the injured list with right ulnar neuritis, with the move retroactive to April 14. The hard-throwing right-hander joins fellow high-leverage pieces Kirby Yates, Tyler Chatwood and Julian Merryweather on the shelf.

Joel Payamps was recalled from the club’s alternate training site to fill Romano’s spot on the roster.

Blue Jays are building a pretty decent pitching staff on IL:

SP
Nate Pearson (adductor)
Ross Stripling (forearm)
Thomas Hatch (elbow)
Patrick Murphy (shoulder)

RP
Kirby Yates (Tommy John)
Jordan Romano (ulnar nerve)
Julian Merryweather (oblique)
Tyler Chatwood (triceps)

— Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) April 15, 2021

First pitch between the Blue Jays and Royals is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET/5:10 p.m. PT on Sportsnet.

[relatedlinks]

COMMENTS

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.