Grilli's lackluster performance has concerned Blue Jays manager John Gibbons, Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star reports.

EDGE Analysis

Grilli, who has allowed five earned runs (and a pair of homers) over his last two outings, owns an outlandish 10.38 ERA and 1.96 WHIP through 8.2 innings this season. He's allowed a runner to reach base in eight of 11 games, and the set-up man currently holds a disappointing 10:7 K:BB. Gibbons has other late-game options if he'd like to explore that route. Joe Smith and Joe Biagini have both been solid, although the latter has run into a few speed bumps lately, too. Grilli will need to start doing a better job if he wants to remain a consistent option in high-leverage situations.

Grilli allowed a hit and one walk, but struck out one Wednesday against the Red Sox en route to his first hold of the season.

EDGE Analysis

The 40-year-old earned 23 holds last season, but he's well off that pace early in the 2017 campaign. The biggest cause for the slow start is the poor performance of his team. Toronto has just three wins so far, the lowest total in all of MLB. Grilli's 1.41 WHIP through six appearances isn't encouraging, yet his 3.18 ERA over 5.2 innings is decent.

Grilli logged his first save Thursday against the Rays by striking out both batters he faced.

EDGE Analysis

After serving up a home run in his first outing, Grilli turned things around in a big way to close out Thursday's contest. The veteran reliever entered the game with men on second and third with one out, and he managed to limit the damage to one run (albeit due to a wild pitch thrown by him). Thursday's outing showed just how good Grilli can be when he's on, so hopefully this version shows up more frequently than the no-control version of himself while he fills in as the closer for Roberto Osuna (neck).

Grilli is likely to begin the season as Toronto's closer after Robert Osuna was placed on the 10-day DL, Jon Lott of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Osuna was able to pitch in spring training, so his placement on the DL is a surprise. Unless Osuna suffered a significant setback, Grilli may only be Toronto's closer for about ten days. And it's not totally clear that Grilli would get all the save chances. Still, Grilli looks to be the player to grab for saves in the near term.

Grilli has allowed three runs on six hits -- including two home runs - through four Grapefruit League appearances.

EDGE Analysis

The 41-year-old has been worked into the mix slowly this spring, but look for him to ramp up the intensity over the final days of camp. Grilli's exhibition numbers are nothing to fret about, as the veteran is simply working on locating his fastball and building up his stamina. The Jays' set-up man can be counted on to rack up holds while contributing plenty of strikeouts in 2017.

Grilli's usage will be closely monitored by manager John Gibbons this season to ensure that the veteran doesn't get overly fatigued, Steve Buffery of the National Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

In regards to his physical ability to pitch deep into the 2017 season, Grilli has responded to the plethora of doubters with a playful smile. "Why does everybody keep asking me if I was tired [last season]?" said Grilli. But the truth is, the 40-year-old fully understands that he isn't a pup anymore, even though he said he still feels like one. The right-hander's average fastball in 2016 (92.4 mph) was more than a tick below his previous season with the Braves when he notched 24 saves while posting a 2.94 ERA. "I got great genes," the personable pitcher added. "I'm Italian, a lot of olive oil running through the veins. There's a lot of fight in me. Hey, if Bartolo Colon can still do it, I best keep up." Grilli, who was traded to Toronto from the Braves in May will be the primary set-up man once again this season for the Jays. Owners can expect 20-plus holds and a handful of saves from Grilli during the 2017 campaign.

The Jays exercised the team option on Grilli's contract for the 2017 season, Greg Chisholm of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Toronto will pay Grilli $3 million next season after it declined to use the $250,000 buyout on his deal. The move previously had been announced by the club in October, but it did not become official until after the World Series. The right-hander joined the Jays at the end of May in a trade with the Braves. He went on to post a 3.64 ERA in 42 innings while filling a key setup role to closer Roberto Osuna. Grilli, a 14-year veteran, has a career 4.09 ERA with 646 strikeouts over 644.2 innings.

Although he earned his 22nd hold of the season, Grilli contributed to the Orioles' comeback win by allowing two hits, including a solo homer, over 0.2 innings Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

Grilli is just one of the Jays' relievers that has struggled in recent weeks. The righty has allowed five runs over his last inning of work (recorded just one out while surrendering four runs last time out), and after starting September with a 3.08 ERA, he now sits at 4.01.

Grilli came on in a one-run game in the ninth inning and proceeded to allow four runs while recording just one out Monday against the Yankees.

EDGE Analysis

Grilli hadn't allowed a run since September 6, when the same Yankees pushed four runs across against him. The veteran's ERA as a Blue Jay rose from 2.45 to 3.32 after the rough appearance. Grilli should bounce back in his next outing.

Grilli (6-5) pitched a clean eighth inning to pick up the win Monday versus the Rays.

EDGE Analysis

Monday marked Grilli's third clean outing in his four September appearances. The only imperfect outing came Sep. 6 against the Yankees when he allowed four runs while recording just two outs. That game was the veteran's first blown save as a member of the Jays. He's been reenergized since being traded from Atlanta, amassing a 2.72 ERA, four saves and 18 holds while striking out 51 batters over 36.1 innings in a Jays uniform.