Toronto Blue Jays planning to call up knuckleballer Ryan Feierabend

With a severely depleted bullpen and rotation, the Toronto Blue Jays will reportedly be turning to knuckleballer Ryan Feierabend on Saturday.

The Toronto Blue Jays are planning on calling up left-handed pitcher Ryan Feierabend to start against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday, according to Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith.

He added that Luke Maile would be catching Feierabend and that a pitcher would likely be sent down to make room.

Feierabend hasn’t pitched in the major leagues since 2014. The 33-year-old was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the third round of the 2003 MLB Draft.

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He spent parts of three seasons with the Mariners before stints in the minor league systems of the Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and Texas Rangers. Following the 2014 campaign, he decided to make his way overseas to play in the Korean Baseball Organization. He joined the Nexen Heroes. He’d find himself pitching for the KT Wiz just a year later.

During his time in Korea, Feierabend added a new-ish weapon to his arsenal. The southpaw had known how to throw a knuckleball since he was a teenager. However, he never used it during his time in the majors.

He decided to start throwing the pitch during the 2017 season to get batters off balance in the Korean league.

"“I started throwing a knuckleball for the simple fact that I had nothing else to lose,” Feierabend told FranGraph’s Sung Min Kim. “If it worked, it would be something that the KBO hitters had never seen before.”"

That year would serve as the best campaign that Feierabend had in the KBO. He finished with a 3.37 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP with 132 strikeouts in 160 innings.

Feierabend made the decision to return to North America for the 2019 campaign. He signed a minor-league deal with Toronto that included a major league option.

Across 16 2/3 innings with Triple-A Buffalo this season, Feierabend has posted a 2.70 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP with 13 Ks to just six walks.

The Blue Jays are currently desperate to plug holes in their rotation. Marcus Stroman is the only pitcher that can seemingly stay on the bump this season. Aaron Sanchez was removed from his start on Friday after another blister issue on his pitching hand. In addition, Matt Shoemaker, Clayton Richard, Clay Buchholz, and Clayton Richard are all currently on the IL with injuries.

When Feierabend takes the mound on Saturday, he’ll officially be the 30th knuckleballer in MLB history and just the fifth southpaw.

What do you think of the decision to give Feierabend the start against the White Sox?  Are you getting flashbacks to R.A. Dickey taking the mound? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!