What couldn't possibly happen again has happened: yet another Blue Jay starter has been lifted from a start with an apparent injury. This time, right-hander Henderson Alvarez (4.36 ERA in 15 starts this season) exited his Monday night start against the Red Sox with elbow soreness.
MLB.com's Gregor Chisolm reports that the team is calling it "a precautionary measure," but Jays fans have been conditioned to expect the worst. That's because, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca notes, Alvarez is the fourth Toronto starter within the last two weeks to leave a game.
First it was Brandon Morrow, who's on the DL with a strained oblique. Then it was Drew Hutchison, whose sprained elbow will prevent him from throwing for the next four to six weeks. Then it was Kyle Drabek, who's facing Tommy John surgery for the second time in his professional career. And now it's Alvarez.
If Alvarez is indeed out for a while, then the Blue Jay rotation will consist of Ricky Romero, Brett Cecil, Jesse Chavez, Aaron Laffey and ... someone else.
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