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Blue Jays demote Ricky Romero: What’s next for struggling starter?
In another indictment of Ricky Romero’s floundering career, the Toronto Blue Jays demoted the former All-Star to Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday. The move came just hours after Romero had the shortest outing of his career – he pitched one-third of an inning, giving up three runs on four hits and two walks in the Blue Jays’ 10-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Romero was making just his second start of the season. He was left behind in Florida following spring training to work on his mechanics and delivery. When he was recalled to the majors last week, the Blue Jays insisted he was ready.
That appears to not have been the case. Romero’s major-league stint lasted only two starts – 4.1 innings to be exact – and he had actually only made one minor-league start to test his new delivery. When pitcher Josh Johnson went down last week with an injury, the Jays called on Romero. He clearly wasn’t ready.
What happens next is anyone’s guess. Romero said all the right things when he was sent to Single-A after spring training, but he didn’t seem thrilled about getting the hook after recording only one out on Wednesday. From the Globe and Mail’s Tom Maloney:
“It’s his call,” Romero said, when asked about the early hook. “I’m not going to sit here and question the manager. He makes those decisions. The competitor in me obviously didn’t want to come out of that game.”
…
“Obviously you’re in front of a lot of people and everyone expects so much out of you – so do I,” said Romero, speaking softly in the clubhouse. “That’s what a lot of people forget sometimes. I’m a competitor, I work hard and I put so much effort into everything I’ve done. I don’t see this as a step back.”
That last bit is telling. Romero was speaking after the game, obviously before his demotion Thursday morning. Romero seems polished enough to continue to say the right things, but his struggles have to be weighing on his confidence. Going up and down from the majors to the minors can’t help either.
The best thing for Romero to do would be to take his medicine and go to Buffalo to figure things out. The best thing for the Blue Jays to do is leave him there until he’s actually ready, even as the team continues to struggle into May. Being away from the limelight and pressure in Toronto should afford him the time to work things out.
Romero needs to find the stuff that made him an All-Star in 2011 before falling apart in 2012 and into 2013. The Blue Jays may need him eventually as the rest of rotation falls into disarray. Johnson is expected to be out until the end of May. J.A. Happ was placed on the DL after Tuesday’s scary incident when he was struck by a line drive. Mark Buerhle is struggling early on, sporting a 7.02 earned-run average, and R.A. Dickey has not looked much like the reigning Cy Young Award winner.
The Blue Jays, of course, are in last place in the American League East with a 13-22 record. As the calendar approaches mid May the “it’s still early” refrain grows less true. Yes, there are 127 games left but the Jays are falling behind their tough AL East opponents.
If the Blue Jays are to rebound and make up ground, it seems they will have to do it without Romero.
