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Jordan Romano Shut Down For Six Weeks Following Arthroscopic Elbow Surgery

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Blue Jays right-hander Jordan Romano underwent arthroscopic surgery today to repair an impingement in his throwing elbow. Manager John Schneider relayed the news to the club’s beat, with Keegan Matheson of MLB.com among those to relay the news on X. The closer will be shut down from throwing for at least six weeks, with his potential return this season dependant on how things progress from that point.

Romano’s elbow has been an issue all year long. The 31-year-old was shut down during Spring Training due to some inflammation and began the season on the 15-day injured list. He was able to come off the IL by mid-April but struggled, with a 6.59 earned run average in 15 appearances. He was placed back on the IL at the start of June, again due to inflammation in that elbow. He seemed to be on the road to rejoining the club last month but was shut down due to some more soreness about two weeks ago.

On the weekend, there was an ominous update. Schneider told reporters that Romano was going to visit Dr. Keith Meister, who has been a key figure in developing the internal brace/Tommy John surgery hybrid.

Relative to the worst-case scenario evoked by that doctor visit, today’s update counts as good news. A Tommy John surgery comes with a timeline of more than a year, which would have definitely ended Romano’s 2024 and even made it difficult for him to pitch next year.

This procedure’s six-week no-throw timeline is far better than that but still not great for Romano or the Jays. Once he starts throwing again, it will be the middle of August and he will have to ramp things back up from there, which is why it’s still questionable whether he can return this season at all.

The Jays are currently 39-46 and on the fringes of contention, currently seven games back of a playoff spot. A disappointing bullpen has been a big part of their struggles, as the club’s relievers had a collective 3.68 ERA last year, a top ten mark in the majors. This year, the relief corps has a 4.73 ERA, better than just the Angels and Rockies. That’s been partly due to Romano, but also pitchers like Erik Swanson and Tim Mayza have struggled and Yimi García has been on the injured list for a while.

The Jays will have to make some tough decisions in the coming weeks about whether they are buyers or sellers, and the loss of Romano will be hurtful on either path. Over the 2021 to 2023 seasons, he racked up 95 saves, trailing only Emmanuel Clase, Kenley Jansen and Josh Hader. He had a 2.37 ERA, 30.3% strikeout rate and 9.2% walk rate in that stretch.

Getting Romano healthy and back in that form could have played a role in getting them back in the playoff race. Conversely, if the club eventually takes the seller path, Romano would have been an attractive trade candidate. He is making $7.75MM this year and has one year of arbitration control remaining. Now that he’s potentially out for the year, he won’t be able to help the Jays steady the ship nor will he be able to bring back young talent in a deadline deal. Players on the IL can be traded but the offers would surely be unpalatable to the Jays right now, given Romano’s current health status.

If the Jays can stay in the playoff race for the next few months, perhaps the return of Romano will be a key storyline to watch, as he could serve as a fresh arm in September and/or October. Or if the club is out of it, the club would surely like to see him back on the mound before deciding whether or not to tender him a contract for next year.

He won’t be able to command a huge arbitration raise since his work this year has been so limited and also ineffective. Having Romano back to genuine closer status at around $8MM for one year would still be a huge bargain, though if the elbow issues linger and there’s a chance of him missing any of 2025, that would obviously change the calculus there.

 

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PWHL MVP Spooner set to miss start of season for Toronto Sceptres due to knee injury

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TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.

The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.

She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.

Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.

Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.

The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Champions Trophy host Pakistan says it’s not been told India wants to play cricket games elsewhere

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LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.

“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”

Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.

The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.

Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.

“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”

Pakistan hosted last year’s Asia Cup but all India games were played in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model for the tournament. Only months later Pakistan did travel to India for the 50-over World Cup.

Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.

“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”

The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.

“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”

Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.

“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.

___

AP cricket:

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Dabrowski, Routlife into WTA doubles final with win over Melichar-Martinez, Perez

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.

Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.

The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.

The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.

Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.

Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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