Blue Jays' Yimi García Not Yet Ready to Return
The Toronto Blue Jays will have to wait a bit longer than expected to add Yimi García back to their bullpen.
Thursday's rehab appearance with Triple-A Buffalo was initially slated to be García's final tuneup before rejoining the big league club for his season debut. It was the right-hander's sixth minor league outing this month and eighth overall this year, but just his first time pitching on one day's rest since undergoing elbow surgery in 2025.
In the outing, García threw 16 pitches and allowed three runs on two hits over 0.2 innings. His fastball sat at 93.1 mph and topped out at 94.6 mph, noticeably down from the 96 mph he averaged over the previous two seasons. He averaged 94.4 mph and topped out at 96.6 mph just two days earlier, when he struck out the side and generated five whiffs in a 13-pitch inning.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Friday that García experienced some soreness following his most recent outing. While the club is not overly concerned, it now plans to have the right-hander make another appearance for Buffalo on Sunday before determining his next steps.
Yimi Garcia felt "OK, a little bit sore" after his rehab outing with the Buffalo Bisons on Thursday, per Blue Jays manager John Schneider. Garcia's fastball sat 93-mph over 0.2 IP.
— Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) June 19, 2026
Garcia's scheduled to pitch again for Buffalo on Sunday.
At his best, García would be a significant addition to the Blue Jays' bullpen. The 35-year-old made 61 appearances over the past two seasons, posting a 3.60 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 74 strikeouts in 60 innings. He also recorded 19 holds and eight saves during that span, showing he can be effective in high-leverage spots.
Toronto's bullpen entered Friday's series opener at Wrigley Field with the fifth-most innings (321), third-most saves (23), second-most strikeouts (323) and the 13th-best ERA (3.81) in MLB. Seven relievers combined for a complete-game shutout against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday after scheduled starter Max Scherzer unexpectedly returned to the injured list. The only relievers who did not pitch that day were Chad Dallas and Tommy Nance.
Fortunately for the Blue Jays, right-handed starter Trey Yesavage spared the bullpen with a 7.1-inning performance in Thursday's series finale. But now that García's return timeline has been pushed back slightly, other arms will be asked to cover high-leverage spots this weekend.
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This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 1:05 PM.