Kay is included on the Blue Jays' season-opening 30-man roster and is expected to serve as the team's fifth starter, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

EDGE Analysis

With Chase Anderson (oblique) opening the season on the 10-day injured list, Kay, Nate Pearson and Ryan Borucki had been viewed as the top candidates to replace the right-hander in the rotation. Toronto has since moved Pearson to the taxi squad, while Borucki was optioned to the team's alternate training site, leaving Kay as the last man standing in the job battle. Pearson is still expected to get added to the roster July 29 so that the Blue Jays can secure an extra year of service time, so Kay won't necessarily have much longevity in the Toronto rotation.

The Blue Jays included Kay as part of their 60-man roster pool that was announced Sunday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Kay had previously been optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on March 20, but with the 2020 minor-league season in doubt, he'll now be eligible to pitch for the big club during the Blue Jays' 60-game slate. Toronto tentatively looks set to enter the abbreviated season with its top six or seven rotation options all available, so Kay may have to settle for long-relief work initially.

Kay was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

EDGE Analysis

Kay wasn't a favorite to secure an Opening Day rotation spot as he's thrown just 14 career big-league innings. After posting a 4.41 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 14 Triple-A starts last season, he likely still has something to prove in the minors.

Kay gave up three hits and two walks over three scoreless innings during Monday's split-squad game against the Pirates. He struck out four.

EDGE Analysis

The 24-year-old southpaw has fought his control and command this spring, and even after Monday's clean outing he still carries a 7.36 ERA, 2.18 WHIP and 9:7 K:BB through 7.1 innings. Kay will begin the season at Triple-A Buffalo, but a strong start will put him in position for a promotion should the Jays need to bolster their rotation over the summer.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said Kay would start the Blue Jays' second Grapefruit League game Sunday against the Twins, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Kay got his first taste of the big leagues last September, logging two starts and one turn as a primary pitcher for the Blue Jays. The lefty remains one of the more highly regarded young arms in the system, but he'll likely have a tough time cracking the Opening Day rotation even with a solid showing in spring training. Toronto can afford to let Kay gain further seasoning at Triple-A BUffalo to begin 2020 after the team added three established rotation options (Hyun-Jin Ryu, Chase Anderson and Tanner Roark) over the winter.

Kay was scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday against the Orioles due to back pain, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

EDGE Analysis

It's unclear when Kay picked up the issue; he tested it out prior to Tuesday's game but the Blue Jays decided to play it safe with the 24-year-old lefty. With less than a week left in the season, it's not yet known whether Kay will appear again. In a trio of outings since being called up from the minors, Kay posted a 5.79 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 13:5 K:BB in 14 innings. The Blue Jays have yet to announce who will start in his place Tuesday.

Kay (1-0) picked up the win as the primary pitcher against the Orioles on Thursday, giving up two earned runs on four hits over four innings, striking out three and walking one as the Blue Jays won 8-4.

EDGE Analysis

Working behind an opener for the first time, Kay fared well in limiting the Orioles to a pair of runs and ultimately picking up his first big-league win. It's possible he stays in this role moving forward, which would limit any value he may have since he wouldn't be working deep enough into games to qualify for decisions. Either way, it's hard to assess Kay at this point, given that he only has 14 big-league innings under his belt.

Kay will work as the primary pitcher Thursday against the Orioles and will follow opener Wilmer Font, Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reports.

EDGE Analysis

For fantasy purposes, this actually gives him a better chance of getting a win, although it's a curious strategy for a rebuilding team looking to develop a young starting pitcher. Kay has given up seven earned runs on 11 hits and four walks while striking out 10 over 10 innings in two big-league starts.

Kay allowed five runs on seven hits with one walk and two strikeouts across 4.1 innings during a no-decision against the Yankees on Friday.

EDGE Analysis

After a dazzlingly debut, Kay fell back to earth a bit Friday. He still posted 11 swinging-strikes, but the Yankees also fouled off 23 pitches, thus avoiding too many punchouts. Kay struck out eight in his MLB debut. He still has 10 strikeouts in 10 MLB frames, but he's also yielded seven runs and 11 hits with four walks, which means he owns a 6.30 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. Kay will face an easier task than squaring off against the tough Yankees lineup in his next start at the Orioles on Thursday.

Kay struck out eight while allowing two runs on four hits with three walks across 5.2 innings in a no-decision during his MLB debut against the Rays on Saturday.

EDGE Analysis

The former Mets farmhand looked very sharp in his first major league outing, recording nine swinging strikes and 13 called ones. He's always been a strikeout pitcher, but yielding only seven base runners and two runs is probably as good of a debut as the Blue Jays could have hoped based on his minor-league WHIP and ERA. If he stays in the rotation, he'll face the Yankees next at home Friday.