There are very few interesting internal competitions at Blue Jays’ spring training this year as the team’s roster appears to largely be set.
One of the few battles worth talking about is for the fifth spot in Toronto’s starting rotation, which is between Yusei Kikuchi and Mitch White. But based on this injury update from manager John Schneider on Thursday, Kikuchi has the inside edge to earn that spot out of camp.
White apparently suffered a right shoulder impingement earlier in the off-season and it’s delayed his build-up to a starter’s workload…
Mitch White had a right shoulder impingement earlier this off-season.
He’s past it now, but that delayed his build-up to a starter’s workload. It’s still White vs. Kikuchi for the No. 5 job, but that will be an early factor. #BlueJays
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) February 16, 2023
Both Kikuchi and White are looking to rebound after difficult performances for the Blue Jays last season.
Kikuchi inked a three-year, $36 million deal last off-season and posted a 5.19 ERA with the club. He was ultimately moved out of the starting rotation in August and pitched the rest of the season as a reliever. White was acquired from the L.A. Dodgers ahead of the trade deadline to give the Blue Jays some much-needed starting depth but he put up a 7.74 ERA over 10 appearances.
The expectation is that one of Kikuchi or White will be the fifth starter and the other will be a swingman in the bullpen, as Ross Stripling was for the first coupl …
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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation
