Is Ryan Borucki suddenly a go-to late-inning option?

"When it comes to facing lefties, Borucki has been shutting them down at an incredible clip, making him a valuable late-inning option whenever the matchup calls for it. Although he has pitched to a staggering 4.96 ERA this season, between the Pirates and the Jays, not much of it has come off left-handed hitters. Can Borucki be a guy the Blue Jays rely on in late-inning options."

"Borucki uses his slider most frequently (41.3% of the time), as it is a weapon of a pitch for him, especially against lefties, where they are batting a mere .061 against it (127 pitches). That pitch has generated a 43.9% whiff rate against the lefties, which is an absurd amount of swing and miss for him, making it so dominant."

"Borucki's secondary weapon against lefties is the sweeper, which he throws 25.4% of the time. This pitch, again, is a whiff machine, inducing swing and miss at a clip of 35% with a put-away rate of 15.6%. If he can get those righty numbers down a little, he can be a great option down the stretch, but unfortunately, he is abysmal against them. This year, he sports a 9.64 ERA against righties, whereas against lefties, it drops down to a 1.45."

Ryan Borucki has returned to the Blue Jays and profiles as an extreme left-handed specialist with dominant swing-and-miss stuff against lefties. He has a 1.45 ERA versus left-handed hitters but a 9.64 ERA versus right-handers this season. Borucki's slider (41.3% usage) produces a .061 batting average and a 43.9% whiff rate against lefties, while his sweeper (25.4% usage) induces a 35% whiff rate and a 15.6% put-away rate. He posted a 5.28 ERA with the Pirates in 2025 and a 3.86 ERA after the All-Star break. The extreme platoon split makes him valuable in late-inning lefty matchups but limits multi-inning or mixed-batter roles.

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