The non-waiver trade deadline has come and gone, but the Toronto Blue Jays might have one more big addition left up their sleeves.
Yes, Troy Tulowitzki and David Price were huge pickups, and since they arrived north of the border, the Jays have streaked to the forefront of the playoff chase.
But right now, we're talking about a guy who's been there all along, waiting in the wings: Marcus Stroman.
A shade more than five months after tearing his ACL during spring-training fielding drills, Stroman will throw a 40-pitch simulated game Monday and could pitch for Triple-A Buffalo in the first week of September, per Sportsnet.ca's Jeff Blair.
"I saw him on video; he looked good," manager John Gibbons said, per TSN's Scott MacArthur. "Just watching the video, you wouldn’t think anything was ever wrong with the kid."
As for whether Stroman can complete his comeback and rejoin Toronto's pitching staff for the stretch run, Gibbons said he's "cautiously optimistic," per MacArthur.
"We can’t get carried away here, either," Gibbons continued. "The kid's got a lot riding on it for his future, you know."
Last season, Stroman teased ace-level potential in his rookie campaign, posting a 3.65 ERA with 111 strikeouts in 130.2 innings.
Coming into 2015, the Jays were counting on the 2012 first-round pick to anchor their rotation. When his knee went, it was worth wondering if it would take Toronto's season with it.
Instead, the Blue Jays have ridden MLB's best offense and the aforementioned trade-deadline cavalry to a 66-54 record entering play Wednesday. They hold a 3.5-game lead for the American League's top wild-card slot and sit just one game behind the New York Yankees in the AL East.
There's more than a month of baseball left, but right now, Toronto is poised to make the playoffs for the first time in 22 years, the longest such drought in North American professional sports.
All of that has played out with Stroman on the sideline. How would his return alter the picture?
It depends, of course, on what he's capable of contributing.
Asking a 24-year-old with less than one full season of big league experience to return from a major injury and immediately slide into the rotation feels like a stretch.
More likely, Stroman would ease in as a bullpen arm as he regains strength and stamina. He'd be an asset there, as CBS Sports' David Brown noted, providing "a formidable bridge between the Jays starters and closer Roberto Osuna."
Imagine, however, if Stroman can return to form and join Price atop Toronto's rotation heading into October. That's a big "if," but also a tantalizing prospect for Jays fans—and a terrifying thought for the American League's other contenders.
Remember, this is the guy who "stunned" renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews with his recovery, as Stroman boasted in a recent tweet:
Should we bet against his helping the Jays down the stretch, adding the final puzzle piece to a potential October juggernaut?
It seems unwise, based on the evidence.
Stroman sounded a strong note of confidence when asked about his comeback in June by Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star:
Once the doctors told me, depending on how you progress, there's a chance, I know my work ethic and I know I'm going to put in more work and do whatever is possible and more than anybody out there to make sure that I'm back. ... My body feels great. If I'm ready to throw, I'd hope that, I mean I think we're going to be in a playoff race, so I hope I would be here.
The Jays have the playoff-race part down. Now, if they can mix in some vintage Stroman, they could leave the rest of the AL's challengers sputtering in their wake.
All statistics and standings current as of Aug. 18 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.
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