Toronto Blue Jays Pitchers of the Month - May 2026

It's been a rollercoaster of a ride for the Blue Jays through two months of the regular season. The team has battled injuries and inconsistent production, and its lineup has struggled to score runs regularly.

The one standout through all the injuries has been the pitching staff. In May, the Blue Jays' 3.45 ERA ranked fourth in the AL. Their 14.5% K-BB% also ranked fourth, and by the Stuff+ numbers on FanGraphs, the staff ranked third, just behind the Mariners and Rays. Not bad for a team that currently has seven starting pitchers on the IL. Add recent injuries to Joe Mantiply and Tommy Nance to pair with Yimi García’s extended absence, and the Blue Jays are down three prominent relievers as well.

In this piece, we’re going to take a look at some of the pitchers that have stood out to make the Blue Jays' staff stand strong as they head into the summer months of the season.

Honourable Mention: Mason Fluharty

• May Stats: 11.0 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 14 K, 2 BB, 0.82 ERA, 0.909 WHIP

Mason Fluharty has overcome a rocky start and was one of the team's more dominant relievers in May. Not only is he now the undisputed number one left-handed option in the bullpen, but he’s also been one of the best in all of baseball. Coming into the finale against the Orioles (in which he struck out all three batters he faced), Fluharty’s FIP ranked third among left-handed pitchers during May (min. 10 IP). His 31 appearances on the season have him atop the MLB leaderboard, and his workload will be worth monitoring. But for now, Fluharty has been excellent, has clearly earned his manager's trust, and has established himself as a key member of this bullpen.

Honourable Mention: Kevin Gausman

• May Stats: 28.2 IP, 32 H, 10 ER, 26 K, 4 BB, 3.18 ERA, 1.27 WHIP

Out of all the pitchers that have dealt with injuries this season, it's somewhat surprising that the pitcher who threw the most pitches and faced the most batters in 2025 isn't one of them. Kevin Gausman’s month as a whole was quietly effective, but his durability and ability to pitch quality innings don’t go unnoticed. His strikeout totals have dipped from his career norms, but he consistently attacked the strike zone this month, leading all Blue Jays pitchers (min. 10 IP) in walk rate (3.7%) and leading all Blue Jays starters in chase rate (38.4%), accumulating 1.0 fWAR in the process. Gausman just quietly keeps getting it done.

Honourable Mention: Dylan Cease

• May Stats: 30.2IP, 23 H, 11 ER, 43 K, 9 BB, 3.23 ERA, 1.04 WHIP

Dylan Cease has been the best Blue Jays starter this season, and he was well on his way to being number one on this list until a hamstring injury put him on the IL for the first time in his career. When he was on the mound, he was nasty as always. He threw seven innings in each of his first three starts of the month, including a 10-strikeout, no-run outing against the Angels. The home run ball caught up to him in his final two starts of the month, allowing two to the Yankees and two more against the Pirates, which made his numbers go from outstanding to just very good. Once Cease recovers from his injury, all signs point to him being a dominant pitcher once again.

No. 3: Spencer Miles

• May Stats: 20.2 IP, 17 H, 9 ER, 19 K, 7 BB, 3.92 ERA, 1.16 WHIP

Where would this team be without Spencer Miles? 

Rule 5 picks with virtually no professional experience rarely become meaningful contributors, let alone one as impactful as Miles. Miles was tasked with being the de facto “long man” out of the bullpen to cover one of the bullpen days, and he’s done it with flying colours. A four-pitch mix with excellent command has done him wonders, and his ability to induce soft contact has been noticeable, as his 85.4 average EV was the lowest among the "starters" (min. 20 IP) in May. Sunday’s rough outing may have been his first sign of fatigue, but it shouldn't overshadow what was an excellent month for him.

No. 2: Trey Yesavage

• May Stats: 31.2 IP, 22 H, 9 ER, 36 K, 17 BB, 2.56 ERA, 1.23 WHIP

Welcome back, Trey Yesavage! After his 2026 season start was delayed by right shoulder impingement, Trey returned and immediately made an impact. His 31.2 innings led all Blue Jays pitchers in May, as did his 1.1 fWAR. The swing-and-miss stuff is still clearly evident, as he led all Blue Jays starters with a 14.9% swinging strike rate. The highlight was when he went into Yankee Stadium, matched up against fellow rookie Cam Schlitter, and Yesavage got the better end of it, striking out Aaron Judge three times and, most importantly, earning the win. His command has wavered at times, as evidenced by a 38.7% zone rate and a seven-walk performance on Saturday, ultimately keeping him from the top spot on this list. Still, it's hard to argue with the results, and he was one of the biggest reasons the Blue Jays’ pitching staff excelled in May.

No. 1: Louis Varland

• May Stats: 15.0 IP, 11 H, 0 ER, 16 K, 5 BB, 0.00 ERA, 1.07 WHIP

Louis Varland is not only the best reliever on the Blue Jays, but you could also make an argument that he’s been the best reliever in baseball this season. In the month of May, Varland led all MLB relievers in Win Probability Added (1.66). He led all Blue Jays pitchers in groundball rate, soft contact rate, ERA, and saves. John Schneider has trusted him to get outs against the toughest parts of opposing lineups, and on three separate occasions, Varland has recorded multi-inning saves, highlighted by a scoreless ninth and 10th inning in Detroit earlier in the month. If Varland keeps this up (and there’s no reason to think he won't), then that first All-Star Game is likely in sight. Varland was Jays Centre's Pitcher of the Month for March/April, and he makes it twice in a row with his appearance here in May.

Heading into June, the Blue Jays' pitchers will need to continue carrying their share of the load as the club looks to climb back into the playoff picture. With reliable veterans like Gausman, emerging contributors like Yesavage and Miles, and reinforcements like Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber on the way, the pitching staff is finally starting to come together. With Varland continuing his dominance at the back end of the bullpen, the Blue Jays' pitching staff is going to be in good shape going forward.