Swanson (elbow) to consult with orthopedic surgeon?

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Blue Jays manager John Schneider has had to say Dr. Keith Meister’s name too many times over the past year.

Early Monday, Schneider shared that reliever Erik Swanson is scheduled to meet with Meister in person on Thursday. This comes after Swanson experienced right elbow discomfort after a recent bullpen session, which came on the back of right forearm discomfort earlier in camp.

“I think we’ll know more after that meeting, in terms of looking at the MRI and plans going forward,” Schneider said.

This has been a “recurring theme” for Swanson, as Schneider put it, which is why the Blue Jays are eager to nail down the exact cause of Swanson’s issues. Meister, along with Dr. Neal ElAttrache, is one of the names a pitcher never wants to hear. Last season, Alek Manoah and prospects Ricky Tiedemann (No. 4 prospect) and Brandon Barriera (No. 15 prospect) were among the young pitchers Toronto sent to Dr. Meister.

While everyone involved is still hoping for some relatively good news that can help Swanson get back on the mound quickly -- and back to his old self -- it’s clear that Swanson will not be ready for Opening Day. That’s a serious blow to the Blue Jays’ bullpen, which was ready to lean on Swanson again in a high-leverage role ahead of closer Jeff Hoffman.

That’s a role Swanson had earned his way back into. After Swanson returned from Triple-A Buffalo in July last season, he posted a 2.55 ERA with 27 strikeouts over 24 2/3 innings down the stretch. He looked like the version of Swanson we saw in 2023, which is incredibly valuable, but now Toronto will need someone else to step into that role, at least in the short term.

Schneider mentioned Zach Pop and Nick Sandlin among the more obvious names, like Yimi García and Chad Green. Tommy Nance is another 40-man roster option along with Josh Walker, while veteran Jacob Barnes is in camp as a non-roster invitee. When you factor in Ryan Burr, though, who’s also behind schedule with some right shoulder fatigue, it’s clear that the Blue Jays’ search for bullpen options might need to continue in the coming weeks.

Toronto needs some legitimate back-end upside if Swanson is going to miss time, not just a reliever who can eat the odd inning, which brings us to Yariel Rodríguez. If all goes well in the rotation, Rodríguez would be the odd man out, but they’re keeping him stretched out for the time being just in case.

If the Blue Jays get to the point where they can shorten Rodríguez up, though, he could be a tantalizing relief option. Sure, his stuff has been erratic at times this spring, but it’s great stuff and some bullpen injuries could change the projection for him in 2025.

“Maybe a little bit,” Schneider said. “We’re still just focused on him building up length and innings. We’ll have discussions if that needs to shift a little later in camp.”

These are the unfortunate realities of camp for the Blue Jays, who had dodged the injury bug well through the early weeks in Dunedin. The organization should have a game plan for Swanson by the end of the week, at least, and in the meantime, bullpen innings over the last two weeks of camp are looking more and more important.