Over the course of the next month, the Blue Jays will only need a fifth starter a handful of times. That means the club will likely need to add a pitcher who can easily move between the rotation and the bullpen.
That is a role that left-hander Brian Tallet -- on the disabled list and working through a Minor League rehab assignment -- has filled in the past for the Blue Jays. Gaston said he and pitching coach Bruce Walton will discuss the rotation options with general manager Alex Anthopoulos in the next few days.
"He would work better than anybody, probably," said Gaston, when asked about Tallet. "Certainly, we have to run it by Alex and make sure he's OK with that. There's not a whole lot of different ways to look at it, though."
Tallet, who began the season as Toronto's No. 2 starter, has been sidelined since April 18 with tightness in his left forearm. The left-hander is eligible to come off the 15-day DL, but he is scheduled to make a rehab start Tuesday for Triple-A Las Vegas first. As things stand, the Jays have just four starters on their roster.
The Blue Jays do not need a fifth starter until June 1. Including that outing, Toronto only needs a fifth starter three times over the next 29 games -- a time period that runs through June 26 -- due to the fact that the Blue Jays have five scheduled off-days over that span.
Blue Jays right-hander Jesse Litsch (right elbow) is also eligible to be activated from the 60-day DL on June 4. Given the off-days, and the way the rotation lines up, Gaston and Walton will also need to discuss Litsch's status with Anthopoulos.
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