TORONTO -- Trevor Richards was standing at his locker in the Blue Jays clubhouse chatting with a reporter when pitching coach Pete Walker strolled by with a message.
"This guy's a stud," Walker said without breaking stride.
The unpromoted endorsement underscores the importance of Richards to the Blue Jays pitching staff right now. With Alek Manoah injured and the club lacking depth, the right-handed reliever has stepped in as a spot starter to open games.
Richards tossed two scoreless innings and recorded four strikeouts in his start against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday and depending on how things shake out over the next few days, he could open again in Oakland this Sunday, which is the next time the fifth spot in the rotation would be needed.
This reliever-starter dance is nothing new for the 31-year-old Richards. He broke into the majors as a starting pitcher with the Miami Marlins before moving to the bullpen with the Tampa Bay Rays. Since joining the Blue Jays in 2021, he's filled in as a spot starter and the right-hander declares he truly has no preference between the roles.
"No, not really," Richards says. "Whatever is needed. It's the same thing — I'm just trying to get outs and get as deep as I can."
It may sound like Richards is being clichéd, but his sentiment is actually genuine. He's as low-maintenance a pitcher as you'll find and that’s a quality manager John Schneider appreciates.
"He's just a flat liner," Schneider says before mimicking a conversation he'll typically have with Richards:
"'Hey, you good?'
“'Yep, I'm good.'"
Richards, who sports a 2.97 ERA over 30.1 innings this season, has been the Swiss Army Knife of the Blue Jays' staff. He's been trusted to hold a lead late in games but has also contributed in emergencies like last week against the White Sox when he tossed 3.1 frames of relief after Manoah exited his start in the second inning.
"Guys like that get so tucked away and people don't really give them the recognition they deserve," says Schneider. "'Hey, you're going to open. Hey, you're pitching in the seventh. Hey, you're pitching three innings.' It's great to have guys like that.
“And yes, he's low maintenance."
Fellow Blue Jays reliever Tim Mayza calls Richards a "calming presence" who doesn't ever get too excited. He says that persona is authentic and extends into Richards's personal life. He's the same way as a father and as a friend, according to Mayza.
"He's never surprised, never caught off guard. Just accepts it and moves on and makes decisions on the fly," Mayza says. "Everything about Trevor is just very calm. I tend to be a little high-strung, so it's nice to have a teammate like that."
Mayza has started a few games over his career during spring training and says that job is just not something he's suited for anymore. The left-hander prefers the fire-drill type of environment that life in the pen presents.
"There's just a lot of lead up into being a starter with the stuff they go through," says Mayza. "I'm a very spur-of-the-moment person, so I like the pace of the bullpen. We get ready and there's not too much thought that goes into it. That's more fitting for me.
"I know [Richards] has been a starter and done the opener thing,” he adds. “I think he has it down to what he needs to get ready for him to open. He does it well."
Richards says his routine remains the exact same whether he's starting or pitching in relief. For example, he strength trains on certain days of the week and while Tuesday's start against Baltimore happened to fall on one such day, Richards didn't alter anything. He visited the weight room and got his work in hours before toeing the rubber at Rogers Centre.
Richards says he actively tries to deploy the mindset that a start is just another day. It's different than how he operated when he came up as a young hurler, though.
"If I had the mentality that I have now back then, I think I would have probably been better back then," he says. "As a young pitcher in my first, second year in the big leagues, I put a lot of a lot of pressure on myself and on every start and, honestly, every pitch. I think that can weigh on a pitcher. [Now,] I just attack and see what happens and I think that would have helped years ago."
The right-hander has allowed just four runs across 15.1 innings (2.34 ERA) in his eight starts for the Blue Jays since 2022. That success has created an interesting dilemma for Schneider. It would be easy to continue to run Richards out as a starter, however, the cost includes a hole being created in the bullpen that others must fill. Additionally, the short- and long-term health of the right-hander needs to be considered.
The load on Richards and the pitching staff could be lightened in the coming days with the expected return of Yariel Rodriguez, who made his fourth appearance with triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday as he continues to rehab from a spine issue.
Rodriguez tossed 43 pitches during the game and added 15 more in the bullpen following his outing in an effort to build up his workload. Schneider said the right-hander felt good and will throw a side session this weekend before the club decides on whether his next appearance will come with the Bisons or Blue Jays.
When Rodriguez eventually returns he could start or, perhaps more likely, follow an opener and cover bulk innings in the middle of a game.
Whatever happens, though, the Blue Jays know Richards will be the constant in a sea of change.
"We're lucky to have his resiliency," says Schneider. "He's one of those guys — he'll do whatever we need him to do."
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