Montoyo: 'All options are on the table' for struggling Kikuchi

The Toronto Blue Jays are considering what to do with struggling left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, and manager Charlie Montoyo said Wednesday that "all options are on the table," according to Sportsnet's Shi Davidi.

Those options include but are not limited to skipping Kikuchi's next start or sending him to the minors to hone his craft. "We're talking through that," the skipper added.

The 31-year-old has struggled for much of the year but especially lately, authoring a 7.99 ERA and 8.86 FIP over his last seven starts. Kikuchi's still racked up strikeouts in that time, with 30 over 23 2/3 innings, but he's also issued 17 walks and 10 homers over the same span. The brutal stretch has bloated his season stats to a 5.12 ERA and 5.81 FIP.

Kikuchi is in the first campaign of a three-year, $36-million contract signed with the Blue Jays this past winter.

Toronto is in a tough spot when it comes to pitching, with Hyun Jin Ryu out for the remainder of the season and Kevin Gausman also unlikely to make his next start on Thursday after a line drive hit him on the ankle. The club has not placed Gausman on the injured list or determined his next move.

The Jays' pitching staff owns a 4.51 ERA for June as a team, ranking 19th in the majors. They've also allowed the fourth-most runs of any AL team all year, ahead of only the lowly Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, and Oakland Athletics.

Despite those difficulties, the Jays remain in a playoff spot, currently occupying the third and final wild-card berth in the expanded MLB postseason. They also sit a half-game behind the Tampa Bay Rays and 1 1/2 back of the Boston Red Sox in the division.