Ryan Borucki, a familiar face for Toronto Blue Jays fans, finds himself at another career crossroads. The Chicago White Sox announced on Friday that Borucki, along with several others, has been released from his contract.
Borucki's journey began when the Blue Jays picked him up in the 15th round of the 2012 draft straight out of high school. He made his major league debut in 2018, showcasing promise with a 3.87 ERA and 3.80 FIP over 97.2 innings in 17 starts. However, injuries soon took their toll, limiting his starts to just two in 2019.
By 2020, Borucki transitioned to the bullpen, where he found some success during the pandemic-shortened season, posting a 2.70 ERA and 3.61 FIP in 16.2 innings across 21 games. But the following year, his performance dipped, as he struggled to a 4.94 ERA and 5.66 FIP over 23.2 innings in 2021.
The 2022 season was particularly challenging, with Borucki posting a 9.95 ERA and 7.53 FIP in just 6.1 innings, leading to his designation for assignment. He was traded to the Seattle Mariners for Tyler Keenan, who has since retired. Borucki managed to stabilize somewhat with the Mariners, ending the season with a 4.26 ERA and 5.59 FIP over 19 innings.
His standout season came in 2023 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he achieved a career-best 2.45 ERA and 3.50 FIP over 40.1 innings, notably reducing his walk rate to an impressive 2.6%. Unfortunately, 2024 wasn't as kind, as he managed only 11 innings with a 7.36 ERA and 4.53 FIP.
Borucki showed slight improvement in 2025, finishing with a 5.28 ERA and 4.34 FIP before being released mid-August. He rejoined the Blue Jays shortly after, appearing in four games without giving up an earned run, despite some command issues (21.1 BB%).
Despite his release from the White Sox, Borucki's strong Spring Training performance-six scoreless innings, a 38.1% strikeout rate, and just one walk-suggests there's still potential for a comeback. Whether he finds a new team or perhaps returns to the Jays for a third stint remains to be seen. His journey has been one of ups and downs, but Borucki's resilience could lead to another opportunity on the mound.