Blue Jays pitcher prospect Marcus Stroman made his season debut Sunday for Double-A New Hampshire after serving a 50-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs, according to MLB.com. Stroman had a strong outing, picking up the win after tossing five scoreless innings.
The right-hander, who entered the year as the Blue Jays' fifth-best prospect, allowed four hits and one walk, while striking out six.
"Obviously, we're happy he's back pitching," Blue Jays assistant general manager Andrew Tinnish said. "I know he is, too. He's such a hard worker and dedicated young man. We expect he'll hit the ground running. He's been doing a lot of good things; he's in the right frame of mind. He'd been champing at the bit, and we were excited to get him back. Now that it's here, he just has to keep working."
The Blue Jays are in the process of converting the 2012 first-round pick into a starter.
"He's shown the ability to throw four pitches," Tinnish said. "I think there's a lot of quality on all four of them. He's not a tall guy, as we all know, but he's athletic, and he has a quick arm. When he commands his fastball, which he's been doing, and keeps it down in the zone, it makes his secondary stuff that much better."