Toronto Blue Jays stash CL B.J. Ryan on DL

April 23, 2009 @ 01:00:00

By Keith Hernandez
Edited by Nicholas Minnix

The Associated Press reports Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher B.J. Ryan (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday, April 23, with soreness between his shoulder and back.

Ryan has struggled mightily this season and blew his second save of the year Wednesday, April 22, giving up three runs in the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers. He is 1-0 with an 11.12 ERA and two saves in six games.

Manager Cito Gaston hinted that Ryan may have been dealing with the soreness for quite some time, which could be the reason for his drop in velocity this year. Ryan will need to go on a rehab assignment in the minor leagues before returning to the team.

Gaston indicated that he will more than likely turn to relief pitcher Scott Downs as the closer with Ryan ailing. Downs has posted an ERA of 1.04 with 13 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings pitched this season. He has seven saves in his major league career. The lefty filled in ably for Ryan at times early last year.

Fantasy owners of Ryan need to think about a possible long-term replacement for the left-handed closer. He has not looked sharp all season. When the season began, Gaston was even considering moving him out of the closer role, although that talk had died down a little.

For now, stash Ryan in a DL spot and look to pick up Downs immediately off the waiver wire, if for some reason he's still not owned. If Ryan does not prove to be reliable upon his return, it would not be surprising to see Downs remain the team's ninth-inning solution for the remainder of the season.

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Keith Hernandez

Keith, an editor with KFFL, joined the team as a Hot off the Wire analyst in 2008 and has been playing fantasy sports since 2005. He is involved in MLB, NFL and NASCAR content. He graduated from the University of California-San Diego in 2005 with a B.A. in Communications and was a four-year starter as a member of the baseball program.

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