BALTIMORE – Dylan Cease will not require surgery on his balky right shoulder, leaving the Toronto starting pitcher free to build back up over the off-season and follow up his Cy Young-caliber campaign with another good season in 2027.
The bad news is that Cease likely won’t have a reason to return in 2026.
Cease said Monday, Sept. 21 that an MRI and other examinations determined inflammation in his shoulder, a relief to pitcher and club after he left his last start in the third inning with shoulder discomfort amid diminished velocity.
Cease, in the first season of a seven-year, $210 million contract, said his shoulder first felt funny as he warmed up for a July 25 start against Boston. He threw a one-hit shutout, striking out 12 that night, part
of a 10-start run in which he posted a 1.89 ERA, struck out 89 in 62 innings and posted a 5-0 record.
But all the while, his velocity was diminishing. During his Friday start at Texas, the discomfort proved untenable. He walked six in 2 2/3 innings and gave up four runs, one earned, in an 11-6 loss at Texas.
“The velocity being down has been a little concerning but at the same time, I was getting outs,” says Cease. “It wasn’t anything too scary. Nothing about it feels like I need surgery. I was never really panicked or worried. Just more of an inconvenience that I couldn’t maximize my best self.
“The last couple starts, velo kept going down and down and then command – that last one, it almost felt like I was hurting the team.”
The Blue Jays lost both Cease’s start and the next night at Texas, two defeats that were likely the fatal blows to their wild card hopes. Manager John Schneider said Monday that the club will assess both Cease’s health and the relevance of their final three games against Cincinnati at Rogers Centre to determine if he’ll pitch.
“Him feeling better, with this time down, and feeling like himself and obviously the game meaning a lot,” says Schneider of the necessary conditions for a Cease return. “If those two things line up, hopefully he’ll be good to go.”
Toronto enters a three-game series at Baltimore with a 77-79 record, three games behind the Chicago White Sox for the final wild card, though the White Sox hold the tiebreaker so the deficit is effectively four games.
The Blue Jays do hold the tiebreaker over the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians, who lead them by 3 1/2 games, but their elimination number is three entering Monday.
Cease, 30, is enjoying the first All-Star season of his career. His 239 strikeouts in 169 innings have boosted him to atop the AL leaderboard in strikeouts per nine innings, at 12.7. His 2.40 ERA ranks second to Cy Young Award favorite Cam Schlittler and he leads the AL in fielding independent pitching (2.55).
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dylan Cease gets good news on shoulder, but 2026 season probably over
