It took Yariel Rodríguez 16 pitches to become the most interesting man on the Blue Jays' roster.Sunday started with Rodrguez's name being tossed around as a potential replacement for Max Scherzer in Toronto's rotation, but by the time the game ended, the Blue Jays were buzzing about something else entirely. May 2 is City Connect Bassitt-Ball Replica Jersey Giveaway: Get your tickets now!Rodrguez blew through the Orioles, striking out two in a scoreless inning while he hit 98.2 mph with his fastball. As he skipped off the mound Josh Walker Jersey, pumping his fists and vibrating with the intensity no other player on this roster can even hold a candle to, Rodrguez looked like a back-end reliever. Not just his talent, but the entire persona."That was, in my opinion, his best professional inning," manager John Schneider said before Monday's 5-2 win over the Nationals. "That was pretty damn good."This didn't quite reach the level of "shocking," given that Rodrguez had pitched in high-leverage spots before, but it was still a surprising twist given how the day started."First of all, I feel very happy that my manager said those words about me," Rodrguez said through a club interpreter. "That's what I've prepared myself for and it's working. I feel the same way. That inning was definitely the best of my big league career."When the Blue Jays signed Rodrguez a year ago, he was coming off a year removed from professional baseball as he established himself as an MLB free agent. The Cuban right-hander's last pro innings came in 2022 in Japan, where he pitched high-leverage relief innings for the Chunichi Dragons. He did it well, too, posting a 1.15 ERA and 60 strikeouts over 54 2/3 innings Shannon Stewart Jersey.This was always there as a backup plan, but any "backup plan" implies a level of failure first. Rodrguez looked fine enough as a starter in 2024, and he still has potential there, but what we saw Sunday was what the Blue Jays need most: a pleasant surprise."You don't want to overreact to one outing, but we know that's in there," Schneider said. "That's been there in his career before. We're still trying to figure out the best way to use that. Is it in the en or is it starting? If it's starting, can he do that for a shorter amount of time? But that was a pretty good inning of work."Therein lies the dilemma. As a starter last season, Rodrguez's fastball sat near 94 mph and he leaned more heavily on his slider as a secondary weapon, his splitter trailing further behind. On Sunday, we got a glimpse of what Rodrguez can look like when he maxes out that heater sitting 2-3 mph harder on average and empties the tank on his secondary pitches.A role needs to match a personality, too. Think of Bowden Francis, who got stuck in the back-and-forth game between the rotation and bullpen, but has finally found himself again as a starter. Francis is, deep in his soul Davis Schneider Jersey, a starting pitcher. He loves every bit of it, from the boring off-day routines to the incredible highs that come on his start days.Rodrguez, with those intimidating, icy blue eyes set between the dazzling diamonds on his ears, fits the eighth inning so well. His mound persona is big, bold and brash. It all works so well, but if this is the road Rodrguez goes down, there's still going to be some adjustment."To be honest, I've always preferred to be a starter. That's what I've always liked," Rodrguez said. "But at the end of the day, it's their decision. In the bullpen, I've done it before, so I also feel great in the bullpen and I'm OK with that."The past 24 hours have required some reading between the lines, but all of that leads to one place. It sounds like the Blue Jays would love to explore this potential and love to see how high Rodrguez's ceiling could be in the bullpen ... as long as they're able to cover that fifth spot in the rotation well enough.Beyond Easton Lucas, Toronto has No. 6 prospect Jake Bloss and No. 26 prospect Lazaro Estrada at Triple-A Buffalo, but there's no clear-cut "next man up" right now.This is also a bigger, more philosophical question for the Blue Jays to answer. What's more valuable to them: having a decent shot at an average MLB starter, or taking a big swing on extreme upside in the bullpen?On a team that needs some upside, it's becoming awfully clear which answer sounds more tempting.