Marcus Stroman to begin rehab assignment August 21

The Toronto Blue Jays announced today that Marcus Stroman, who has been injured since Spring Training with a knee injury will throw off a mound August 12 and is expected to start a rehab assignment August 21.

This is huge news for the Blue Jays who are in the middle of a playoff push and any help they could get will just improve their chances.

It is important not to get ahead of ourselves here. He has not pitched since March and could need several starts to build up arm strength. Hopefully everything goes well and there are no setbacks and Stroman may get his wish to pitch in the Major Leagues before the end of the season.

Reports have him pitching in the bullpen, and you could look at Anibal Sanchez for Detroit last year as an example of a player working his way into the playoff roster in a reduced role. Obviously, if all goes well Stroman will be starting his work before Sanchez did last year but Stroman will have missed a lot more time.

Even if Stroman does not start a game and pitches out of the bullpen, he would be a huge addition to the Blue Jays. Stroman has shared part of his rehab through social media and the most optimistic timeframes did see him back before the end of the season. I doubt the Jays would rush him if it turns out he isn't ready. There is still a lot of time to monitor him before he even steps onto a field to pitch in an actual game.