Richards walked one and struck out three in a scoreless inning of relief Sunday to record his third hold of the season in a win over the Twins.
He took the ball from Jose Berrios with two outs in the sixth inning before passing the baton to Erik Swanson in the seventh, as the Blue Jays staff tossed a combined five-hit shutout. Richards' plus-plus changeup has been dancing this season, and the 30-year-old righty has fanned multiple batters in 10 of his last 11 appearances, producing a 3.24 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 26:8 K:BB through 16.2 innings over that stretch.
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Blue Jays' Trevor Richards: Remains in bullpen mix
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Richards has posted a 14:5 K:BB without allowing a home run over 7.1 innings this spring.
The right-hander's elite changeup looks as baffling as ever, but his lack of even an average fastball has led to some erratic numbers in the majors. Richards posted a 5.34 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in 2022 despite a 29.2 percent strikeout rate, thanks in part to a career-worst 12.5 percent walk rate. He'll likely fill a lower-leverage role for Toronto this season.
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Blue Jays' Trevor Richards: Avoids arbitration with Toronto
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Richards signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Blue Jays on Friday to avoid arbitration, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The 29-year-old held a 5.34 ERA but also struck out 82 over 64 innings for the Blue Jays last season. Richards has plenty of past starting experience but appears pegged for a full-time relief gig again in 2023. He did serve as an opener for the Jays a few times in 2022 and might be used some in that role again for the upcoming season.
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Blue Jays' Trevor Richards: Set to open Game 1 on Wednesday
Rotowire
Richards will serve as the Blue Jays' opening pitcher in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Orioles, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Richards will be picking up his fourth "start" of the season, but because he hasn't recorded more than seven outs in any of his 61 appearances with the Blue Jays, he's unlikely to face any hitter more than one time. Once Richards exits the contest, the Blue Jays will have one of Casey Lawrence, Mitch White and Yusei Kikuchi available as a potential bulk-relief option. The Blue Jays will then likely save two of those pitchers to cover the majority of the innings in Game 2.
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Blue Jays' Trevor Richards: Starting bullpen game
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Richards will start a bullpen game against the Orioles on Friday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
Richards threw 29 pitches in relief Thursday against the Rays and gave up five runs on three hits and two walks while failing to strike out a batter in two-thirds of an inning. However, he'll serve as an opener during Friday's matchup, while Yusei Kikuchi will likely be available as a bulk reliever.
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Blue Jays' Trevor Richards: Heading up bullpen game
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Richards will start a bullpen game Sunday against the Rangers, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
Interim manager John Schneider said that everyone will be available, suggesting we will see a slew of arms in the series finale instead of an opener-primary situation. Richards has not thrown more than two innings in an appearance this season. Jose Berrios will be pushed back to Monday against the Rays.
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Blue Jays' Trevor Richards: Opening Saturday's game
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Richards will start Saturday's game against the Pirates, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Richards hasn't made a start since 2020 and hasn't lasted very long in any of his relief appearances this season, so it seems likely that he'll be used as an opener during Saturday's matchup. The right-hander posted a 1.46 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 12.1 innings over 12 appearances in August.
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Blue Jays' Trevor Richards: Activated from IL
Rotowire
Richards (neck) was activated from the 15-day injured list Sunday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
The right-hander served up two homers in one inning during his lone rehab appearance, but the Blue Jays have reinstated Richards back to the active roster regardless. Chances are, Richards will be limited to mop-up duty, at least until he shows he can string together a few effective appearances. Richards has a 6.59 ERA and 1.57 WHIP through 28.2 innings for Toronto this season.
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Blue Jays' Trevor Richards: Begins rehab assignment
Rotowire
Richards (neck) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Richards faced live hitters Monday and has now been cleared to return to game action in the minors. The right-hander didn't face a lengthy shutdown after landing on the injured list June 18, so he expects to be ready to return when first eligible July 3.
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Blue Jays' Trevor Richards: Facing hitters again
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Richards (neck) threw a live batting practice session Monday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
Facing live hitters is likely the final hurdle that Richards needs to clear before the Blue Jays send him out for a minor-league rehab assignment. The 29-year-old right-hander had supplied a 6.59 ERA and 1.57 WHIP across 28.2 innings out of the Toronto bullpen this season before landing on the 15-day injured list June 18 with a strained neck. According to Mitch Bannon of SI.com, Richards said he was shut down from throwing for only a few days due to the injury, and he expects to be ready to come off the IL when first eligible July 3.
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Blue Jays' Trevor Richards: Out with neck strain
Rotowire
Richards was placed on the 15-day injured list with a neck strain Saturday.
Richards hasn't been pitching well lately, allowing 12 runs in eight innings across his last eight appearances, though it's unclear exactly how much of that can be attributed to the injury. Matt Gage was recalled to take his place in the bullpen.
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Blue Jays' Trevor Richards: Inks $1 million deal with Toronto
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Richards agreed to a one-year, $1 million contract with the Blue Jays on Tuesday, avoiding arbitration, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.
Richards is in his first year of arbitration eligibility and will receive a modest raise. He spent most of last season with Toronto and was a solid bullpen piece with a 3.31 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 37:10 K:BB across 32.2 innings.
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Blue Jays' Trevor Richards: Earns seventh win
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Richards (7-2) fired a perfect sixth inning while striking out two, earning the win in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Orioles.
Richards entered the game with the Blue Jays down 1-0. However, after he fired a scoreless inning, Toronto put up 11 runs in the seventh inning to give Richards the win. He is 2-0 with nine strikeouts in seven scoreless innings over his last seven appearances.
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Blue Jays' Trevor Richards: Falls apart in 10th inning
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Richards (5-2) took the loss Friday versus Detroit. He allowed three runs (two earned) on a hit and a walk with two strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning.
Richards got the ball for the top of the 10th inning, but he allowed the go-ahead run to score before Adam Cimber allowed two inherited runners to cross the dish. The 28-year-old Richards has allowed five runs (four earned) in two innings across his last three appearances, enduring a bit of a rough patch. For the year, he owns a 3.75 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 64:18 K:BB through 48 innings for three teams.
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Blue Jays' Trevor Richards: Earns win in relief
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Richards (5-1) earned the win in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Angels after tossing two scoreless innings, walking one and fanning two.
Richards was charged with his first loss of the season July 26 against the Red Sox, but he has been excellent since then and has tossed five straight scoreless appearances, giving up just two hits across 6.1 innings in that span. In fact, Richards has allowed just three runs across 14 innings (12 appearances) since the beginning of July and owns a 1.93 ERA with a 19:5 K:BB in that span.
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Blue Jays' Trevor Richards: Charged with loss
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Richards (4-1) allowed two runs on a hit and two walks with one strikeout in 1.1 innings, taking the loss Monday versus Boston.
Richards allowed a two-run home run to Alex Verdugo in the eighth inning, and Toronto was unable to pull even again. This was Richards' first loss in 27 appearances between three teams this year. The right-hander owns a 3.72 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 53:14 K:BB across 38.2 innings, and he's not expected to contend for saves in Toronto's bullpen.
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Blue Jays' Trevor Richards: Earns first win with Toronto
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Richards (4-0) struck three batters out while allowing a hit over an inning, earning the win over the Mets on Saturday.
Richards entered the fifth inning in a tie game with one out and runners on first and second base. He earned his first win with the Blue in his fifth appearance with his new team. Since joining Toronto, he's allowed just one run in 5.2 innings while striking out 11 batters. The 28-year-old owns a 3.38 ERA in and 52 strikeouts in 37.1 innings.
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Blue Jays' Trevor Richards: Solid in Jays debut
Rotowire
Richards struck out one in a perfect inning of relief during Wednesday's 10-2 win over the Orioles.
The right-hander made short work of the O's in the sixth inning as the first man out of the bullpen after Hyun Jin Ryu. Richards is having a solid season in relief despite being traded twice, posting a 3.58 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 42:12 K:BB through 32.2 innings, and he could see more high-leverage work in Toronto than he did in Tampa Bay or Milwaukee.
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Blue Jays' Trevor Richards: Dealt to Blue Jays
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Richards and minor-leaguer Bowden Francis were traded to the Blue Jays from the Brewers on Tuesday in exchange for Rowdy Tellez, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Richards was traded to Milwaukee alongside Willy Adames on May 21, posting a 3.20 ERA and 25:9 K:BB in 19.2 innings with the Brewers. The righty primarily served as a bulk reliever, winning three games but also blowing two saves in his 15 appearances. Now, Richards joins a struggling bullpen that may find use for him in later, higher-leverage situations than the Brewers did.
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Brewers' Trevor Richards: Picks up win
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Richards (1-0) allowed a hit and a walk while striking out four over two scoreless innings to earn the win Saturday versus Pittsburgh.
Richards has now logged five scoreless innings across four appearances in June. He got off to a rocky start after he was traded from Tampa Bay to Milwaukee. The right-hander has a 4.15 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 28:4 K:BB across 21.2 innings this season. He remains an option in the middle innings for Milwaukee.
