Predicting the 2026 Blue Jays' Batting Order

[Bryan Jaeger]

Pitchers and catchers report for spring training in Dunedin, Florida, on February 11. The rest of the team reports on the 16, and games begin five days later.

The Toronto Blue Jays may be done adding to their offense, as all the big-dollar free agents have signed elsewhere. They did add Kazuma Okamoto, who comes over from Japan on a four-year, $60 million contract. With him added, let's take a look at how the batting order may come together versus right and left-handed pitchers.

Predicting the Blue Jays' Batting Order Against RHP

 

1. George Springer, DH - R
2. Addison Barger, RF - L
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B - R
4. Anthony Santander, LF - S
5. Kazuma Okamoto, 3B - R
6. Daulton Varsho, CF - L 
7. Alejandro Kirk, C - R
8. Ernie Clement, 2B - R
9. Andrés Giménez, SS - L

Springer will deservedly return to the leadoff spot, where he's had 4,787 career plate appearances. Batting first, he has a career .270/.354/.481 slash line, 221 home runs, 761 runs, and 80 stolen bases. Even though he's 36, there's no one on the roster who should be considered to replace Springer atop the batting order if he stays productive. 

Nathan Lukes was often seen in the second spot down the stretch last season, but with everyone healthy and Okamoto pushing Barger to the outfield, Lukes will find himself a bench player at the start of the season. Last year was full of ups and downs for Barger, but he will look to bring his 115 wRC+ against righties into the upcoming season. It'll be his third year in the big leagues, but he will find himself in a platoon at the beginning of the season, as he struggled against lefties in 2025 (69 wRC+). 

There's no question who will bat third. Guerrero is by far the best hitter on the Blue Jays and one of the best in MLB. After him is where the debate will begin. The fourth through seventh hitters can be interchangeable depending on production. If Santander can return to his 2024 form, that of a player who had 44 home runs and 102 RBIs for the Baltimore Orioles, then he'll stay slotted into the cleanup spot all season since he's a switch-hitter. But let's be honest, Blue Jay fans will take anything better than Santander's production in his debut season in Toronto. 

Spring training will be Okamoto's first chance to show the Blue Jays he can bring his power bat from Japan to America. If he adjusts to MLB pitchers, then this signing will be a home run. He hit 15 homers last season, but an elbow injury caused him to miss over three months. Okamoto had a career-high 41 home runs in 2023, so he could be a great protection bat behind Santander.

If Santander struggles again, Varsho should move to the four-hole as a left-handed power hitter. However, to start the season, Varsho should slot into the sixth spot to break up the righties at the end of the lineup. He started last season on the injured list, recovering from a 2024 shoulder surgery, and missed two months halfway through the season with a hamstring injury. If Varsho can stay healthy, we could witness his best season yet.

Despite the missed time, Varsho was on pace for a career season in 2025. He had 20 home runs over 271 plate appearances, which was short of the 27 he hit in 2022, but he had 321 more plate appearances that year. The center fielder did complete the season with a career high 123 wRC+.

Kirk could bat fifth and move Okamoto to the seventh spot in the batting order. The drastic power discrepancy is why I put Okamoto fifth, though. The Blue Jays' catcher has never been a power hitter, but last season he set career highs in home runs (15) and RBIs (76). What Kirk does well is put the ball in play, backed by a .292 BABIP and only an 11.7 strikeout percentage in 2025. He'd be a great contact bat to help knock in whatever runs the powerful three through six hole batters leave on the basepaths. 

Clement can bat eighth after an outstanding 2025 postseason. He slashed .411/.416/.398, scored 13 runs, and posted an incredible 171 wRC+ over 77 plate appearances. His 30 hits set an MLB record in a single postseason. If he keeps making contact at such a high level, he could find himself slotted in the two hole if Barger starts slow.

Giménez will bat ninth as he's a defensive specialist. He started hot last season, hitting three home runs in 22 March plate appearances; however, he only hit four more in his remaining 347 trips to the plate. His .598 OPS was a career-worst over his six MLB seasons.

Predicting the Blue Jays' Batting Order Against LHP

 

1. George Springer, DH - R
2. Ernie Clement, 2B - R
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B - R
4. Anthony Santander, RF - S
5. Kazuma Okamoto, 3B - R
6. Alejandro Kirk, C - R
7. Davis Schneider, LF - R
8. Myles Straw, CF - R
9. Andrés Giménez, SS - L

Against left-handed pitchers, the batting order only has a few changes, mainly replacing some of the left-handed hitters. I'd move Clement to the second spot because of the contact skills he possesses. I replaced Varsho with Straw to get a right-handed bat in the lineup. The Blue Jays limited Varsho's reps against lefties last season, as well; he only has 56 plate appearances against southpaws, compared to 215 appearances against right-handers. Straw won't provide substantial offensive production, but last season he had some success on balls in play (.308 BABIP), leading to his best wRC+ (91) since 2021.

The final change is replacing Barger with Schneider. Schneider surprisingly struggled against southpaws last season with a .215 batting average, though he had a .708 OPS and a 106 wRC+ against them. I acknowledged Barger's struggles versus lefties earlier, which makes Schneider an obvious replacement. Though exactly how Schneidet fits in this lineup is a little head-scratching. 

The Blue Jays will also have Tyler Heineman (switch-hitter) and Lukes (left-handed bat) that they can utilize in games. However, if I were the manager, this is the batting order I'd roll out. The Blue Jays have the pleasure of having massive power potential this year. It could be an electric season as fans hope to witness another World Series run, but with a different final outcome. 

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[Leo Morgenstern]

This is a fun exercise. I love thinking about potential lineups. Personally, I’d keep Varsho as the everyday center fielder against all pitchers. I’m not convinced Straw is a better option against righties, even if Straw has the platoon advantage and Varsho doesn’t. Straw's bat is just that weak. Instead, I’d consider swapping Straw in for Barger in right field, moving Ernie Clement to shortstop, and starting Schneider at second. Giménez and Barger are the biggest liabilities against lefties. And while the infield defense might be a little worse, the outfield defense would be better.