Toronto Blue Jays Hitters of the Month - May 2026

The Toronto Blue Jays have struggled with power all season. As of Tuesday, they rank tied for 20th among MLB teams with 56 home runs and 25th in OPS (.690). The issue stems from injuries and struggles from the lineup's superstars. 

Anthony Santander has been out all season after shoulder surgery in February, but he's not due to return until August at the earliest. Alejandro Kirk has been out since April 7 after suffering a fractured thumb from a foul tip. He's on pace to begin a rehab assignment soon, with hopefully a return to Toronto by mid-to-late June. 

Another player the Blue Jays were depending on, Addison Barger, has already spent two separate stints on the 10-day injury list this season. On April 5, he injured both ankles on the same play while attempting to beat out an infield groundball. He missed more than a month before returning on May 9. However, on May 10, he returned to the injury list due to right elbow inflammation. There's no timetable for a return, but he has started swinging in the batting cage. 

Aside from injuries, the Blue Jays are seeing a lack of power from key players Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Daulton Varsho, and George Springer. They are each hitting fly balls at a rate over 30 percent, but they are producing their worst home run-to-fly-ball ratios. All of their HR/FB rates are under 10 percent for the first time in their careers, with Guerrero at an abysmal 5.2 percent.  

Despite their season-long struggles, the Blue Jays went 15-14 in May, which helped them jump into third place in the AL East, though they are still well behind the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees. There haven't been many bright spots in the lineup lately, but here were the Blue Jays' top performers in May.  

Top Blue Jays Hitters In May

Honorable Mention: George Springer

• May Stats: 107 PA, .208/.276/.344, 12 R, 3 HR, 7 RBI, .774 OPS, 75 wRC+

George Springer's performance last season, when he hit 32 home runs, is starting to look like a fluke. He is currently experiencing the worst statistical season of his 13-year career. Although it's only two months into the season, the Blue Jays' DH is hitting. 212/.289/.359 with a .648 OPS and an 84 wRC+. These statistics would all be career-worst numbers, including a -0.2 fWAR, which would mark the first time that Springer dropped into the negatives.

The interesting thing is that the 36-year-old is actually crushing the ball when he pulls it. All five of his home runs are to left field, as well as nine of his 14 RBIs, and he is hitting .357 with a 1.036 OPS on pulled contact. His stats drop suddenly as you move toward right field.

Hitting the ball up the middle, Springer is batting .214 with one RBI and a .475 OPS. Hitting to the opposite field, his average is .167, with four knocked in and a .458 OPS. At this rate and given his age, this may be the last season we see Springer in a Blue Jays uniform, as his contract expires at the end of the year. 

Honorable Mention: Jesús Sánchez

• May Stats: 81 PA, .329/.358/.500, 8 R, 2 HR, 13 RBI, .858 OPS, 139 wRC+

The trade acquisition after Santander's surgery news, Jesús Sánchez is currently on pace to have his best statistical season of his seven-year career. His .287 batting average would be a career best by nearly .30 points. He's seeing his best success hitting the ball into the air, with a career-best 56.1 air percentage, which is nearly split between fly balls and line drives.

The increase in his launch angle is backed up by producing a 1.517 OPS on line drives and a 1.161 OPS on fly balls. Sánchez may not be the power producer that Santander has shown to be over his career, but he's been one of the most consistent contributors in the Blue Jays lineup. 

The one downfall for the team's right fielder is that he is a platoon player. In only 22 plate appearances, he has a .372 OPS against southpaws, compared to an .844 OPS over 160 plate appearances when facing a right-handed pitcher. The Blue Jays need Sánchez to keep hitting hot with so many of their other key stars struggling. 

No. 3: Yohendrick Piñango

• May Stats: 83 PA, .291/.325/.456, 7 R, 3 HR, 15 RBI, .781 OPS, 118 wRC+

April 26, Yohendrick Piñango made his much-anticipated MLB debut. He was called up when Nathan Lukes was placed on the 10-day injury list due to a hamstring injury. The former top prospect has burst onto the scene since his debut, with a 114.8 max exit velocity and 40.9 percent hard-hit rate. 

Like Sánchez, Piñango is a platoon player, with a .385 OPS in 13 plate appearances off lefties, compared to an .850 OPS in 77 plate appearances off righties. Lukes returned to the Blue Jays on May 25, and the 24-year-old survived not being demoted to make room for Lukes. Davis Schneider was sent down instead, although Piñango has moved to a more part-time role. Moving forward, his playing time will be largely limited to pinch-hitting or giving a day off to Varsho, Sánchez, or Lukes, who are also left-handed hitters. 

No. 2: Ernie Clement

• May Stats: 106 PA, .297/.321/.475, 15 R, 4 HR, 13 RBI, .796 OPS, 120 wRC+

Ernie Clement has continued his hot hitting from last season's postseason run and is now a reliable contributor this season. He became a full-time starter in 2024 and is on pace this season for a career year. The power is a nice surprise, since he is in the sixth percentile for average exit velocity (85.7 mph) and the third percentile for hard-hit rate (25.4 percent). 

However, he is in the 97th percentile for squared-up rate (36.2 percent). Clement's 15.6-degree average launch angle is a helpful contributor to the power display, as well. Another aspect of the utility player's success this season is his ability to put the ball in play. He ranks in the 99th percentile in strikeout percentage (8.1 percent) and has a .309 batting average on balls in play. 

Even though Clement bats toward the bottom of the lineup against right-handed pitchers and second versus southpaws, his success is much-needed. His outstanding hitting is a reason the Blue Jays are playing as well as they are lately. 

No. 1: Kazuma Okamoto

• May Stats: 115 PA, .210/.304/.470, 16 R, 7 HR, 18 RBI, .774 OPS, 115 wRC+

The lone power source for Toronto this season has been one of their offseason signees. Kazuma Okamoto has 12 home runs on the season, which is twice as many as the team's next-closest hitters, Sánchez and Andrés Giménez. The third baseman was also a decent contact hitter in Japan, hitting at least .260 in each of his eight seasons there.

However, the contact hasn't translated to the MLB game. He was hot to start May, with four home runs in the first three days, and he had a hit in 10 straight games. That streak went cold right afterward, with him getting only two hits over the next 10 games. One reason Okamoto's batting average for the month is so low is that he has had only three multi-hit games in May, and all of them were before May 6. 

With the limited power around him, Okamoto needs to continue hitting the ball hard; he currently ranks in the 96th percentile for hard-hit rate (53.0 percent). The Blue Jays are desperate to keep up in the AL East; it wouldn't surprise me to see a power bat be a target at the trade deadline.