BRADENTON — If there was any notion from opposing hitters that Kevin Gausman was going to ease into something resembling his top form, they had another thing coming from the Blue Jays ace on Monday afternoon at LECOM Park.
If his arm is feeling fine on Tuesday, the effort certainly looked good enough for him to join the back end of the rotation as the season gets under way.
After missing time with what the team diagnosed as right shoulder fatigue, things couldn’t have gone better for the veteran and 2023 Cy Young Award finalist.
“I think any time it’s your first time in the game, there’s a little bit of question mark there,” Gausman said. “I always say kind of hitters are gonna let you know how good you think you are. So obviously to strike out the side (in the first inning) feels pretty good.
“I felt I had command and velocity. The (pitch) clock was fine. So check all those boxes for the game.”
The Jays won’t make any definitive plans until they see how Gausman bounces back from the effort, which finished after 52 pitches. But if all is good and a jump up to 75 is in order for his next outing, all signs point to that being in a big league game, likely for the team’s second series in Houston.
“We’ll see (Tuesday) how I bounce back, that will be the big question mark,” Gausman said. “Then we’ll talk and see what the next step is.”
It doesn’t hurt that Gausman’s experience might require less time to prepare for the season, a point he acknowledged outside of the Jays clubhouse here after his work day was done.
