Patrick Corbin’s 2026 outlook looks bleak. Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters, including Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling and MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson, that the veteran left-hander is a “ long shot ” to pitch again next season because of a teres major strain.
That diagnosis fits the path Toronto had already taken with Corbin. He went on the 15-day injured list on July 22, then was moved to the 60-day IL in August, which left even a best-case return scenario pointing only to the final week of the regular season.
Instead, Corbin’s year now appears headed toward an early finish. He signed a one-year, $1MM deal in early April and wound up logging 80 innings across 15 starts and 19 total appearances, posting a 5.51 ERA.
Toronto brought Corbin in as extra pitching help during what has turned into a season-long run of arm trouble. Nine Blue Jays pitchers are still on the injured list.
There are at least a couple of names trending in the right direction, though. Trey Yesavage has moved into bullpen sessions while working back from meniscus surgery, and Schneider said Shane Bieber is about 10-11 days behind him.
In Schneider’s words, “ a perfect world ” would have Bieber, who is dealing with teres major inflammation, starting to throw off a mound this week. A return before the end of the regular season sounds shaky for Bieber, while Yesavage appears to be on track for the stretch run.
In Boston, Garrett Crochet is back to throwing bullpens, and The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey reports his next session is scheduled for Tuesday. If Crochet does return this season, the Red Sox are planning to use him in relief. There simply isn’t enough time left for him to build back up for a starter’s workload after missing time since April 26 with a shoulder capsule sprain and later a lat strain that slowed his rehab.
McCaffrey also noted that Tanner Houck and Johan Oviedo could still factor into 2026. Both pitchers are expected to begin minor league rehab assignments before the end of next week. Houck had Tommy John surgery in August 2025, while Oviedo made one appearance in March before a flexor strain landed him on the 60-day injured list.
Elsewhere in the division, the Mets have reason to like what they’re seeing from Nate Lavender. The New York Post’s Joel Sherman reported that the left-hander drew significant trade interest while he was still in the Mets system.
Lavender spent most of 2025 away from the organization after the Rays selected him in the Rule 5 Draft, though he was recovering from UCL surgery at the time and was eventually returned to the Mets last November. He got back on the mound in the minors this year, then made his MLB debut in August, and he hasn’t allowed a run in his first 13 big league innings.
That kind of start gives him a real chance to emerge as part of the 2027 bullpen.
Washington catcher Drew Millas may be headed for yet another procedure on his left index finger, according to The Athletic’s Spencer Nusbaum. Millas already had the finger fractured by an Austin Wells swing a little more than a year ago, which led to surgery soon after.
He hasn’t played since July 11 because of another fracture and another surgery, but the issue apparently still hasn’t been fully resolved. Over 302 career plate appearances since debuting in 2023, Millas has hit .231/.308/.330, all in a part-time backup role with the Nationals.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Playoff Push Now Rests On A Shorthanded Rotation
The Blue Jays playoff push has turned into a test of survival on the mound, with the rotation suddenly stripped down to the bare minimum at the worst possible time. Seven pitchers are on the injured list and one was traded away, leaving Toronto to lean on a thin group just as the final stretch arrives and every game starts to carry extra weight.
Jameson Taillons elbow issue only deepened the concern, with the right-hander now likely finished for the year after being placed on the injured list. For a team still chasing a postseason spot over its final 19 games, the pressure now falls on Dylan Cease, Jos Soriano and Max Scherzer to keep the staff afloat while the Blue Jays try to squeeze enough outs out of what remains. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Need Their Top Two Starters To Stop This Slide
The Blue Jays could use a reset as they head into a three-game series in Sacramento against the Athletics after dropping the finale to Kansas City. Toronto enters the trip one game behind the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Wild Card race, but it does still hold the season-series edge over Cleveland, a small cushion that keeps the path in front of it from closing entirely.
Now the focus turns to the top of the rotation, with Dylan Cease lined up for Game One and Jose Soriano expected to follow in Game Two. Cease comes in with a 2.25 ERA and just authored a six-inning shutout of Cleveland, the kind of outing Toronto needs again as it tries to stop the slide, while the Game Three starter remains unsettled for now. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Waste Eight Hits In Another Road Letdown
Another road trip brought the same frustrating result for the Blue Jays, who managed eight hits but only one run in a 6-1 loss to the Royals. Josh Smith supplied Torontos lone run with a home run, but the offense never turned traffic into anything meaningful, and the game slipped away before the Jays could settle in.
Kansas City set the tone early and kept adding to it, while Spencer Arrighetti and the Royals bullpen made sure Torontos chances stayed scattered. Arrighetti worked 4.2 innings, and the relief corps followed with 3.1 innings of one-hit ball, leaving the Blue Jays with another reminder that production on the road has to come in bunches, not empty singles and stranded opportunities. [Read more 🡒]