The Toronto Blue Jays received bad news on Tuesday — one of their starting pitchers is out for the 2026 season, taking a hit to their pitching depth.
According to multiple reports, the Blue Jays announced that pitcher Bowden Francis will be out for the season after undergoing UCL reconstruction surgery, also known as Tommy John surgery.
While he struggled last season, Francis pitched 64 innings for Toronto and, as a depth arm, will be missed on the roster.
In 2024, Francis had a good 3.30 ERA over 103.2 innings pitched as a starter and reliever, though the production fell in 2025 amid a shoulder injury, putting up a 6.05 ERA.
Luckily, the Blue Jays have a good amount of pitching depth that can hold the team through the first half of the season before the trade deadline, when they can add another arm.
There is one particular veteran who can step up into the hole left in terms of innings pitched after being on the outside looking in.
Who will replace Bowden Francis on the team?
According to manager John Schneider, Jose Berrios has already been told that he will take on an expanded role than initially expected and eat innings for the team, especially in the regular season.
“That’s been handled,” Schneider said. “I think José realizes that it probably could have been handled a little bit differently on everyone’s end, really.
“Looking back, I wish we had done things a little bit differently, and I’m sure he does as well. He’s the normal José that’s coming in ready. He’s had conversations with the guys he needs to have conversations with. We want to just put that behind us.”
Additionally, pitcher Eric Lauer could get more run support, and the team could add a fellow swingman who can pitch in relief or start games. He will end up being used more heavily, which is good news for the veteran, who can also use the runway.
Two minor league pitchers who could also see an uptick in odds of more work with a good spring season are left-handed pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann and Gage Stanifer, who is expected to be in Triple-A at the start of the season and could get a nice runway to the roster.
