Injured Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Dylan Cease made his first rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday night, tossing four innings and giving up five earned runs.

At first glance, the line isn't particularly special: He gave up five earned runs and six hits, but he did strike out six and walk only one.

But on second glance, there's a note that should make you feel more excited about his eventual return: He threw 75 pitches, 50 of which were strikes. A 2:1 strike-to-ball ratio for Cease is fairly solid, and it means that he was attacking the zone more. Yes, those pitches got hit, but for a player that often struggles with efficiency, seeing that kind of ratio should yield some positivity. 

Also noted by Mitch Bannon of The Athletic, Cease's pitch count being that high likely means that he can return to the rotation the next time through if the Blue Jays want him to. Toronto is 30-33 on the season and has dealt with huge attrition in the rotation. Cody Ponce, Bowden Francis and Jose Berrios are all out for the season, while Cease, Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber are all on the injured list now. Trey Yesavage was on the injured list earlier this season.

Now 30 years old, Cease is an eight-year veteran of the Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres and Blue Jays. One of the best swing-and-miss pitchers in baseball, he has five straight seasons of 214 strikeouts or more. He also has five straight seasons of 30 starts or more, and this is his first trip to the injured list since coming to the big leagues in 2019.

Signed to a seven-year deal worth $210 million this offseason, he's gone 3-3 with a solid 3.05 ERA for the Jays in 11 starts. He's already struck out 92 batters in 62.0 innings.

The Blue Jays are hosting the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night at 7:07 p.m. ET. Yesavage will pitch against Brandon Young. Yesavage is 2-2 with a 2.19 ERA while Young is 3-1 with a 3.35.

--Jeff Passan of ESPN mentioned current Miami Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara as a possible trade target for the Jays this summer. We took a look at the feasibility of that move in this piece. 

--We also discussed the acquisition of Woods-Richardson and if he could end up having more of a long-term future in Toronto. He is out of options and is expected to join the rotation once he arrives, though that won't be in time for Thursday's contest.

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