Blue Jays optioned LHP Ricky Romero to Triple-A Buffalo.

It had to be done. Romero made it only a third of an inning Wednesday in his start against the Rays and now has a 5.92 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and 128/110 K/BB ratio in 185 1/3 innings since the start of the 2012 season.

Ricky Romero pitched one-third of an inning Wednesday, allowing three runs and taking the loss to the Rays.

It was a quick hook for the lefty after he exited his last start with forearm stiffness. There was no word of an injury Wednesday, so we'll assume it was just flat-out poor pitching that led to Romero's exit. The Jays brought Romero up to take the place of the injured Josh Johnson, but it's worth wondering how much longer they'll roll with him in Johnson's absence. His spot in the rotation is due to pitch again on Tuesday, but whether it'll be Romero taking the mound is still in question.

Ricky Romero underwent x-rays on his left forearm after leaving in the fourth inning of Friday's loss to the Mariners.

The x-rays were negative, but Romero could be in jeopardy of missing his next start. "I don't know, we'll see. It's a little stiff right now," he said. With Josh Johnson landing on the DL this week, the Blue Jays can ill-afford another injury to their starting rotation.

Ricky Romero struggled in his return to the majors Friday, allowing three runs over four innings in a loss to the Mariners.

Romero started out strong with three scoreless frames, but he unraveled in the fourth by giving up two hits (including a two-run homer by Kyle Seager), three walks and hitting a batter. He was looking down at his hand during the inning, so the speculation is that he was dealing with a blister issue. Either way, it wasn't the ideal way to return to the Blue Jays' rotation. He should remain off the fantasy radar for the time being.

Blue Jays recalled LHP Ricky Romero from High-A Dunedin.

Romero was expected to spend a little more time in the minors, but the Jays have decided to give him a shot after Josh Johnson's trip to the disabled list. The left-hander pitched well in his lone outing for Dunedin, but he's way too risky to be used right away for fantasy purposes.

Ricky Romero will be promoted from the minor leagues to start Friday night against the Mariners.

The lefty has made just one appearance at High-A Dunedin, but the Jays are desperate for a starter with Josh Johnson (triceps) suddenly needing a 15-day disabled list stint. Romero should be avoided in all fantasy formats until he proves that he has figured out his control issues. He posted a brutal 5.77 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 124/105 K/BB ratio in 181 innings last season.

Ricky Romero fared well in his first start with High-A Dunedin on Saturday, allowing just one run on five hits over seven innings.

More importantly, Romero struck out two without issuing a walk. He has spent the past few weeks working on his mechanics in extended spring training. It's an encouraging first step in the right direction for him.

Ricky Romero will make his first start of the season at High-A Dunedin on Saturday.

After a disastrous spring training, Romero has been in extended spring training working on his mechanics. There's no timetable for his return to the Blue Jays' rotation, and with J.A. Happ pitching well, the club doesn't have to rush Romero.

Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Tuesday that Ricky Romero will throw a second simulated game in extended spring training before getting into a real contest.

The GM said Romero is showing progress but is "not all the way there yet." The left-hander has been in Florida working on not throwing across his body as much. While he's close to appearing in minor league games, there is still no timetable for him rejoining the Blue Jays' rotation.

Ricky Romero is still working on mechanical adjustments in bullpen sessions and is not yet ready to appear in minor league games.

The Blue Jays are trying to get the left-hander to not throw across his body as much, with the hope that it will improve his command. Romero will return to game action once the Jays feel he's made strides in the area. "Ricky sounded good, and that was the key thing," said manager John Gibbons, who talked with Romero over the weekend. "He was upbeat and positive. Said he was getting some really good work done in the bullpen. We still don't know yet when he's going to get into a game, but I don't think that's too far off."

Blue Jays optioned LHP Ricky Romero to High-A Dunedin.

It's the right move to make. Romero was a disaster last season and clearly still hadn't figured things out this spring, posting a 6.23 ERA and 2.08 with 10 walks over 13 innings. He'll try to work through his issues in the minors while the Blue Jays use J.A. Happ as their fifth starter.

Ricky Romero allowed three runs -- two earned -- in 4 1/3 innings Tuesday against the Pirates.

It's an improved outing from Romero, but that still doesn't make it very encouraging; he allowed six hits, walked three and struck out two. It sounds like the Jays are still leaning towards making him their fifth starter, but they'd likely be better off sending him to Triple-A and going with J.A. Happ instead.

Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said that while a discussion about removing Ricky Romero from the rotation hasn't taken place, he is "constantly evaluating" everything.

"We haven't talked about it all. We evaluate it start by start," Anthopoulos said. "We've said we have our five starters. He's one of those five starters. We haven't had any change of plans, the plans are still the same. But just like anything else, you're constantly evaluating." Romero went 2 1/3 innings against a High-A team Thursday, allowing four runs on five hits and five walks, throwing just 29 of 64 pitches for strikes. He also holds a 7.27 ERA and 2.08 WHIP with seven walks over 8 2/3 Grapefruit League frames. If the Jays ultimately decide to let Romero work on things in the minors, J.A. Happ would replace him in the rotation.

Ricky Romero is currently in the process of tweaking his mechanics.

The Blue Jays noticed a flaw in Romero's delivery -- specifically that he had been throwing across his body more pronounced than in the past -- so they are trying to get him to direct his momentum toward home plate as opposed to third base. He is also now setting up from the middle of the rubber as opposed to the first base side. However, he's still trying to get comfortable with the changes in game situations. "Obviously during the game in the middle of the competition you're going to shift over a little bit, but the more you get the muscle memory under control I think the better off I'm going to be," said Romero. Coming off a 5.77 ERA last season, the Blue Jays are hoping that the tweaks will get him back on track.

Ricky Romero lost to the Tigers after giving up three runs in three innings on Friday.

Jhonny Peralta homered off the left-hander. Nothing Romero has done this spring suggests a rebound is in store for 2013. Besides the 7.27 ERA, he has a 6/7 K/BB ratio in 8 2/3 innings over four starts.

Ricky Romero allowed two runs -- one earned -- in two innings and walked three Saturday versus the Tigers.

Andy Dirks homered off him. Romero has struck out just two and walked five in his three starts this spring. For a pitcher coming off such a disappointing season, it doesn't seem like a good omen.

Ricky Romero yielded two runs in 1 2/3 innings Wednesday in a no-decision against the Twins.

Joe Benson homered off him. Worse, just 17 of his 36 pitches went for strikes. It's just one outing, but we need to see reasons to be optimistic about Romero this spring before penciling him in for a bounce-back season.

Ricky Romero said Thursday that his surgically-repaired left elbow feels "100 times better."

"I wasn't able to rotate it at one point I was so sore at the end of the year," said Romero, who posted an ugly 5.77 ERA and 124/105 K/BB ratio over 181 innings last season. It wasn't just the elbow that was bugging him, as he also received platelet-rich plasma injections in both of his knees. Assuming the injuries are behind him, he could make for a nice late-round bounce back candidate in fantasy leagues.

Ricky Romero underwent arthroscopic surgery to clean up his left elbow.

Romero was a complete enigma this season, posting a 5.77 ERA and 124/105 K/BB ratio over 181 innings, so the elbow at least provides some context for his struggles. The 27-year-old southpaw will only need six weeks of recovery time, meaning the surgery shouldn't impact his availability for spring training. Romero also received platelet-rich plasma injections in both knees to help his recovery from quad tendinitis.

An MRI on Ricky Romero's left knee revealed no structural damage.

Romero has inflammation where the quadriceps muscle connects to the kneecap, but it's not expected to be an issue going forward. Although the knee won't be a concern, Romero will obviously have major question marks attached to him heading into next season.