Opinion | Yusei Kikuchi still has plenty of supporters on the Blue Jays roster

NEW YORK—After watching Yusei Kikuchi give up six runs while not making it out of the fourth inning Monday against Baltimore, the Blue Jays took a couple of days to think about things. When Kikuchi didn’t walk in with the rest of the starting rotation behind Ross Stripling on Wednesday night, taking a seat up on the bullpen scaffolding to watch the game, the decision was clear.

With the season heading rapidly toward the quarter-pole and the Jays a long way from comfortable as far as their playoff prospects are concerned, they decided that urgency trumps patience. Kikuchi’s big contract be damned, they couldn’t afford to send him out there every five days anymore.

After the game, interim manager John Schneider made it official, announcing that Mitch White would start Saturday against the Yankees in what would have been Kikuchi’s spot and the struggling lefty will pitch in relief for the time being.

Kikuchi was willing to take it a step further.

“Schneider had mentioned that this move was the best,” Kikuchi said Thursday, through interpreter Kevin Ando, “not just for the team but for myself. I had mentioned the option of maybe going down to Triple-A and staying on a five-day rotation, but Schneider (said that), as of now, the best move for the team and the organization was for me to go into the bullpen and take on a new role.”

It’s a role that has a lot of his teammates excited about the possibilities.

Closer Jordan Romano, who has the second-most saves in the American League (26), was a starter throughout his minor-league career until getting claimed in the Rule 5 draft before the 2019 season and being converted to relief.

He’s looking forward to seeing what Kikuchi can do without having to worry about facing a lineup two or three times.

“He’s got a really good, really good fastball, really good breaking ball and the changeup,” Romano said. “For most guys, the fastball ticks up in the bullpen. If he’s 97-98 in the bullpen with that really good slider … expecting good things.”

Pitching out of the bullpen will be a new experience for Kikuchi, who has done nothing but start since his days with the Seibu Lions in Japan, so he’s not as confident that it’s a magic elixir to cure what’s been ailing him, though he’s definitely excited to try.

“I’m not really sure because it’s my first time ever doing it in my career,” said the 31-year-old, who has failed to go more than four innings in 10 of his 20 starts this season. “But, yeah, that was one of the things that Schneider and Pete had mentioned is that maybe going out there 100 per cent from pitch number one, obviously the stuff might play up.”

Third baseman Matt Chapman, who faced off against Kikuchi many times when they were AL West rivals, believes it will.

“For sure he can be dangerous,” Chapman said. “I think you see a lot of guys find themselves again in the bullpen. Countless times you’ve seen guys go to the bullpen and find something. I think it’ll be good for him. He can maybe come right after guys and with his stuff … if he only has to throw one inning, he can probably throw 100.”

Another Jays pitcher who has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen thinks Kikuchi could thrive in a new role.

“I think a lot of time the hope is that (a move to the bullpen) does simplify things,” said David Phelps, at 35 the oldest Jay. “One of the biggest things with Kooch is he’s a power arm. I’m curious to see how it plays up in the bullpen because he’s up to 97 as a starter and, if it does tick up a little bit, we could be talking about a lefty who’s throwing 98 to 100. That’s an impact arm for us.”

As poor as the numbers have been — Kikuchi’s 5.25 ERA and 1.518 WHIP both rank 115th out of 121 major-league pitchers who have thrown at least 80 innings this season — his teammates don’t seem to have given up on him in the slightest.

Chapman was rattled when told Kikuchi had offered to go down to Buffalo if that would be better for the team.

“I think I’m going to go talk to (Kikuchi) and let him know that (he’s) a lot more valuable than (he thinks he) is, because he doesn’t need to be getting optioned and I think there’s still a lot of great things he can do for this club,” Chapman said. “I’m gonna go pump him up now.”

Mike Wilner is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star and host of the baseball podcast “Deep Left Field.” Follow him on Twitter: @wilnerness

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