22-year old lefty starting pitcher Brett Cecil is rising fast through the farm system for the Blue Jays. Cecil was the #2 prospect in the entire Blue Jays’ system before this season started according to Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook and he’s proving that to be correct. Cecil has started 19 games in A+AA ball this season and he is 4-2 with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. Cecil has also only allowed 58 hits while whiffing 77 batters in 73.1 innings this season which shows how good his stuff is. It’s possible that Cecil could get a chance in September for the Blue Jays as long as he keeps pitching well in the minors.

The Blue Jays have placed starting CF Vernon Wells on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring. Wells has played in 64 games for the Blue Jays this season and he is 73 for 254 (.287 avg, .778 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 9 homers, 42 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. This is a huge blow to the Blue Jays. Alex Rios will move over to CF with Brad Wilkerson taking over in RF. But, the whispers coming out of Toronto have them maybe calling up Travis Snider to take over in RF.

The Blue Jays got some bad news earlier today as Dustin McGowan has been diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff. He will likely miss the remainder of the 2008 season. McGowan started 19 games for the Blue Jays this season and he was 6-7 with a 4.37 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. It’s uncertain who will replace McGowan in the starting rotation but they’ve called up righty reliever Brian Wolfe to replace him on the pitching staff. Wolfe has pitched in 15 games (0 starts) for the Blue Jays this season and he is 0-2 with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. The loss of McGowan could push the Blue Jays to be a seller at the trading deadline.

23-year old lefty swinging Scott Campbell is having a good season in AA ball and he’s starting to open some eyes in the organization. Campbell has played in 78 games in AA ball this season and he is 97 for 290 (.334 avg, .881 OPS) with 49 runs scored, 5 homers and 34 RBIs. Campbell could get a shot with the Blue Jays later this season if they have a firesale and trade some infielders.

Backup infielder Joe Inglett is forcing his way into getting more playing time with his play on the field. Inglett has played in 51 games for the Blue Jays this season and he is 37 for 115 (.322 avg, .875 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 2 homers, 17 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. With Aaron Hill out for a while due to a concussion, Inglett is pushing Marco Scutaro and David Eckstein for playing time. He has played especially well since Cito Gaston has taken over as the manager and with the Blue Jays fielding offers for David Eckstein, Inglett could have a much larger role on the Jays in the near future.