Bryan Jaeger

The Toronto Blue Jays have been in a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation this season. Half of the bullpen has been outstanding; that's the good side, a.k.a. Dr. Jekyll. The other half has been atrocious; that's the dark side, a.k.a. Mr. Hyde. Below are the relievers channeling their evil Mr. Hyde alter ego: Player Innings ERA Roster Status Brendon Little 3 2/3 24.55 Optioned to Triple A Josh Fleming 3 12.00 DFA'd and re-signed. In Triple A Jeff Hoffman 10 2/3 7.59 (through April 21) Moved to a setup role Eric Lauer 36 6.69 DFA'd and traded Yariel Rodríguez 4 1/3 10.38 Added to the 26-man roster on May 11 Chase Lee 3 1/3 8.10 Added to the 26-man roster on May 19 Mason Fluharty 18 2/3 4.82 Made the Opening Day roster Since being removed from the official closer role, Hoffman has reduced his ERA to 5.09. This success is due to pitching nine shutout outings in his last 13. Even in the four games in which he surrendered a run, it was only one. He also earned two saves last week, his first in over a month. He struck out five of the six batters he faced in those two outings. The first save came the day after Louis Varland pitched two days in a row, and the second save came the day after Varland threw two innings. So Hoffman hasn't fully gotten back in the good graces of manager John Schneider, but it's a start. Thankfully, it's not all doom and gloom. There is a good side to the bullpen: the Dr. Jekylls. Varland has been stellar all season, and since taking over the ninth inning, he has converted all five of his save opportunities. Here are the other relievers who are sporting their Dr. Jekyll alter egos: Player Innings ERA Roster Status Louis Varland 27 2/3 0.65 Took over the closer role Tyler Rogers 23 1/3 1.54 Made the Opening Day roster Braydon Fisher 29 2/3 2.73 Made the Opening Day roster Tommy Nance 21 3.86 Made the Opening Day roster. On IL since May 16 Joe Mantiply 17 2/3 2.04 Added to the 26-man roster on April 5. On IL since May 17 Spencer Miles 29 2.17 Made the Opening Day roster Austin Voth 2 2/3 3.38 DFA'd and re-signed. In Triple A Adam Macko 3 1/3 0.00 Added to the 26-man roster on May 17 Tommy Nance (May 17) and Joe Mantiply (May 19) have joined the long list of pitchers on the injury list. However, the bullpen's success has been much-needed, as the relievers have had to fill a rotation spot due to the plethora of starting pitcher injuries. José Berríos, Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber, Bowden Francis, and Cody Ponce have been on the injured list for most of the year. These were all players who could have played key roles this season. Ponce is out for the season after suffering an ACL injury in his first outing this season, and Scherzer made five starts before going on the injured list with forearm tendinitis and ankle inflammation. Berríos, Bieber, and Francis have all been out since the start of the season. Bieber started a rehab assignment on May 24. The Blue Jays will ease the righty back into form, and his return may come in late June. Berríos and Francis will both miss the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The good news is that Toronto's first two bullpen games (with Miles filling a bulk relief role) went well. The Jays held the Detroit Tigers to seven hits and one run on May 16, striking out 14. Then they limited the New York Yankees to three hits in a shutout on May 21, striking out another 14. Yet, it seems that when things are going well, something bad comes along. The latest bad news is that Dylan Cease is now on the injured list after suffering a hamstring injury on May 24. Schneider has already been playing chess with all his moving pieces, and now the Blue Jays are once again trying to figure out how to fill an empty rotation spot. The team could let Miles properly join the rotation, given his recent success. He threw eight scoreless innings between the bullpen games on May 16 and 21. Then they could turn the other available rotation spot into a bullpen game. The Blue Jays would need to find someone who can go three or four innings since Miles would be unavailable, and that's likely Rodríguez. This injury crisis has been one of the worst situations that I can remember. Let's see how the Blue Jays adjust. Stats updated prior to games on May 25. View full article

The Toronto Blue Jays have had unfortunate, unexpected bad luck with their starting rotation's health. José Berríos was expected to return to Toronto soon, but he has suffered a setback with his elbow injury. He recently met with Dr. Keith Meister, a renowned elbow surgeon, and they are continuing to discuss what approach they will take. Cody Ponce suffered an ACL injury in his first start back in MLB after four seasons overseas. Shane Bieber has been out all season recovering from elbow inflammation. He has thrown a few bullpens and is expected to face live hitters soon. This progress will allow his expected return in late May or early June, provided he continues taking steps in the right direction. Max Scherzer has made only five starts, and they were a roller coaster ride full of ups and downs. He's now on the injured list due to forearm tendinitis and swelling in his ankle. He received cortisone shots for both to see if he can return sooner rather than later. A timetable will be established once the team sees how his body reacts to the shots. Bowden Francis underwent UCL surgery in the offseason and won't return until next season. Eric Lauer was filling in the rotation void, but his performance was hideous. He has since been designated for assignment. There are no clear answers to address the opening in the rotation at the moment. The Blue Jays already hit the free agent market and added Patrick Corbin because they had no prospects that were ready to be called up. Ricky Tiedemann looked like an option for promotion during spring training, but he was shut down with elbow soreness. He's started throwing on a mound, but he's being eased in after missing all of 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery. Tiedemann is unlikely to return until later in the second half of the season. However, there may be a solution to the rotation void currently on the Blue Jays roster. That option is Spencer Miles, who has been working as a long reliever this season. He's performed well in his rookie campaign, posting a 3.00 ERA over 21 innings with an 18:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 3.36 FIP (entering play on May 15). Miles got the start on May 10 against the Los Angeles Angels, though he was really more of a "long opener" in that game. He threw 38 pitches over three scoreless innings, while allowing two hits and striking out two. The Blue Jays' coaching staff will have to tightly monitor his workload, as the Rule 5 draft pick only pitched 7.1 innings in each of his two seasons in the minors (2022 and '24). Miles missed the 2023 season due to back surgery and the 2025 season due to undergoing Tommy John surgery. With his success this season, Miles is the obvious choice to become the fifth starter, even if it's only for a few innings each outing before he turns things over to the bullpen. However, with his limited experience and production, the righty will need to be closely monitored. There have already been too many injuries to the starting rotation that the coaches and front office have had to try to solve. The season hasn't started the way the Blue Jays expected after a World Series trip last fall, but the beauty of Major League Baseball is that there are 162 games on the schedule, so the Jays have plenty of time to get their issues figured out. View full article

Trey YesavageJoJo ParkerArjun NimmalaJohnny KingGage StaniferYohendrick PinangoRicky TiedemannJuan SanchezJake BlossRJ SchreckJosh KasevichJake CookVictor AriasSilvano HechavarriaBlaine BullardCharles McAdooSean KeysEdward DuranTim PiasentinAdam Macko

The Toronto Blue Jays are around the middle of the pack in terms of farm system rankings. As a result, they don't have many players expected to make their MLB debuts soon. Fans know the names of the team's top prospects, including Trey Yesavage, who is thriving early in his MLB career, JoJo Parker, and Arjun Nimmala, but a few lesser-known prospects are starting to make a name for themselves. One of those players is Sean Keys, the No. 17 prospect in the Blue Jays organization. Keys is a left-handed power hitter who plays third base, but his 6-foot-2, 232-pound frame may be better suited for first base, due to his limited range. The Blue Jays selected him in the fourth round of the 2024 MLB Draft. In his first minor league season, he debuted at Single-A Dunedin, where the left-handed hitter displayed excellent plate vision and contact skills. He slashed .293/.378/.451 over 98 plate appearances with 11 runs, one home run, and 20 knocked in. His next year didn't go as smoothly, but he still showed promising skills. Keys was promoted to High-A Vancouver, where we got a glimpse of the power he possessed; he hit 19 home runs over 529 plate appearances. However, his slash dropped across the board to .217/.365/.408. Still, the slugger posted a 119 wRC+. Vancouver isn't known as a hitters' park, so it was encouraging to see him impact the ball solidly, even though they didn't always drop for hits. This season, Keys received an invitation to major league spring training, but he was never considered a serious contender to make the Opening Day roster. The 22-year-old was sent to Double-A New Hampshire, where he has been crushing the ball. It is a small sample, with him playing in only 27 games (entering play on May 8), but Keys has slashed .309/.427/.629 over 117 plate appearances. He has added 29 runs, 23 RBIs, and nine home runs to his totals, as well as a 167 wRC+. The fast start to his season has definitely helped this underrated player become a household name among Blue Jays fans. It's likely a long shot that Keys can make his MLB debut this season. The Blue Jays would want to see how he performs in Triple A before calling him up, as he is only 22. However, if he gets promoted to Buffalo sometime this summer, it increases the chances that the prospect could be a September call-up. Blue Jays fans, keep an eye on Keys. If he keeps tearing the hide off the ball, he may be one of the next promising prospects to make an MLB appearance. With the Blue Jays' power numbers down this season (they're tied for 23rd in home runs), the team could use more sluggers on its roster. We may not see Keys in the big leagues this season, but it will be sooner rather than later if he keeps performing the way he has. View full article

Kazuma Okamoto displayed massive power in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, hitting 30 or more home runs in each season from 2018 through 2024. He was on pace to continue that trend last season, but an elbow injury forced him to miss half the season. He came over to MLB in the offseason, but struggled through March and April, slashing .218/.301/.373 with five home runs over 123 plate appearances. However, through the first six games in May, he has already doubled his home run total, giving him 10 on the season. Okamoto also has a significantly higher slash line through 28 May plate appearances, hitting .375/.464/1.042. To go along with his 10 home runs, the Blue Jays' third baseman has 19 runs and 23 runs knocked in. Okamoto's power is evident in his ranking towards the top of the league in many key metrics. Although the sample is small, the righty is in the 85th percentile or higher in expected slugging percentage (.515), average exit velocity (93.1 mph), barrel percentage (15.6 percent), and hard-hit percentage (52.2 percent). These rankings mean Okamoto is making solid contact, and his 18.7-degree average launch angle is helping him hit the ball into the outfield stands. Another thing that is helping Okamoto hit home runs is that he's pulling the ball more than 50 percent of the time. You pair that with his pull-air rate (25.6 percent), which is nearly 10 percentage points higher than the league average, and it's easy to see why Okamoto has flipped a switch offensively. The offensive surge has the third baseman shooting up the rankings in many major offensive statistics among his position mates. Okamoto is positioning himself exceptionally well to earn an All-Star Game nod in his rookie season if his success continues. Here is how he ranks among his fellow AL third basemen: .246 batting average - 6th 19 runs - T-5th 10 home runs - 1st 66 total bases - 1st 23 RBI - 1st .493 slugging percentage - 2nd It took Okamoto a while to adjust to the North American style of baseball, but since the season entered May, he has been one of the league's best hitters. After Bo Bichette left in free agency, Okamoto was looked at as the free agent signing who would fill Bichette's shoes in the lineup. It's looking like the Blue Jays made the right decision, although it's far too early to make an official judgment. It is safe to say that with the power drought from players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the team is glad to see their third baseman find his home run stroke. View full article

All statistics from before first pitch on May 5. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been a productive offensive weapon for the Toronto Blue Jays, but his power numbers are near the worst of his eight-year career. This season, Guerrero is slashing .333/.421/.437 with 21 runs and 15 knocked in, but only two home runs. That number of home runs is fewer than Brandon Valenzuela's three, and he's a defense-first catcher who started the season in Triple-A. Vladdy is the face of the Blue Jays franchise and the team's $500 million man, even though he has never matched the 48 home runs he hit in 2021, ranging from 23 to 32 each season following. One of the main reasons for the power decrease since his breakout is that the righty batter has exceeded that season's 9.4-degree average launch angle only once. That one season was 2023, when Guerrero hit 26 home runs with a 10.5-degree average angle. Since then, he hasn't exceeded 8.2 degrees, which is his current mark. His fly ball rate is also the lowest it's been in several years. What's even more concerning is that Vladdy is posting some of his worst quality-of-contact numbers since his 2019 rookie season. His hard-hit rate (43.8 percent), barrel percentage (10.7 percent), and average exit velocity (91.2 mph) are his lowest since 2019 or 2020, his first two MLB seasons. These decreases, combined with his failure to elevate the ball, have led to Guerrero's struggles to hit home runs. While taking a deep dive into his statistics, it's important to remember that although his declines in some areas are concerning, the season is only a few weeks old, so the sample is small. Where the Blue Jays first baseman is thriving is in the contact department, with a career-best 12.1% strikeout rate. His expected batting average of .316 ranks in the 97th percentile and would tie his career high set in 2024. This metric is backed by his high line-drive rate and noticeable up-the-middle approach. The Blue Jays' highest-paid player has been more content driving the ball to center than pulling it, with a straightaway rate nearly 10 percentage points higher than his pull rate. With this strategy, it's harder to hit a home run, but it shows that his timing is near perfect. It seems his mentality at the plate is to be a top-of-the-order hitter trying to get on base, instead of a three or four-hole hitter who will use power to drive in runs. Though the mindset and mentality might be concerning, none of it means that Vladdy isn't an exceptional player. What's frustrating is that he is only 27 and has the natural talent to produce more power. The fix could be as simple as a slight mechanical change in his swing to pull the ball more often and generate more fly balls. If not, the Blue Jays will need to move forward with a plan to add power around Guerrero, as the current roster ranks 22nd in MLB in home runs. Kazuma Okamoto is carrying the load, with nine of the team's 33 home runs, but hopefully, answers are on their way. Addison Barger has begun a rehab stint in Single A, where he homered in his first game. The slugger struggled mightily to start the season, posting a .279 OPS and -16 wRC+ before he hit the injured list. The Blue Jays desperately need Barger to overcome his struggles and bring power to a roster that has no one besides Okamoto with more than four home runs this season. For Blue Jays fans, it may be time to change your expectations for the $500 million man. He might no longer be the slugger you once knew. Now, he looks like the "get on-base guy" that he used to drive in. He's still to be appreciated and cheered for, as he's the team's offensive leader and will be for many years to come. View full article

The Toronto Blue Jays' pitching staff has been a tale of two extremes. There have been some outstanding performances by the guys in this article, but then there have been absolute snoozefests like Brendon Little and his 24.55 ERA. All the injuries the staff has endured haven't helped matters. Trey Yesavage, José Berríos, Shane Bieber, Yimi García, and Bowden Francis all started the season on the injury list. However, Yesavage made his first start of the season on April 28, and Berríos is making rehab starts with a return to the Blue Jays in sight. Unfortunately, more pitchers have joined the injury list. Cody Ponce suffered an ACL injury in his first start this season, and, more recently, Max Scherzer was added to the injury list with forearm tendinitis and ankle inflammation. Eric Lauer has been filling in as a member of the starting rotation, but he's struggled with a 6.00 ERA, a 1.52 WHIP, and a 20:13 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 27 innings. The Blue Jays were so desperate for arms that they signed Patrick Corbin in free agency, a name no Blue Jays fan thought they'd see on the team. His first start was rough, allowing four earned runs to the Minnesota Twins, but he has settled down since then, allowing only four earned runs over three starts. However, that's enough doom and gloom. These were the bright spots on the Blue Jays' pitching staff in March and April. Honourable Mentions Braydon Fisher - 17 IP, 1.59 ERA, 16 K, 6 BB, 4 holds, 3.25 FIP In his second MLB season, Braydon Fisher has been thrust into high-leverage situations at times, converting four holds in 13 relief appearances. His latest high-leverage situation was on April 29 against the Boston Red Sox. He replaced Lauer in the fifth inning of a 5-1 game with the bases loaded and one out. The first batter up was Willson Contreras, who already had homered in the game, but Fisher got Contreras to line into a double play. His four holds are one short of last year's total, when he made 51 relief appearances. The one issue Fisher has had is allowing free passes. He has a 2.67 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which is fewer than his 3.26 ratio last season. However, Fisher has proven to be able to get out of innings with runners on base. Kevin Gausman - 40.2 IP, 3.10 ERA, 40 K, 8 BB, 3.35 FIP Kevin Gausman has been a prototypical ace, delivering dominant performances to start the season. He has thrown six innings or more in four of his seven starts and was able to keep his pitch count under 92 in each of those four games. In three of those, he didn't walk a batter, which supported his low pitch count. The ace accumulated 21 strikeouts through his first two starts, but that was against the Athletics and Chicago White Sox. Over his next five starts, he totaled 19 strikeouts, though he faced some tougher competition: the Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Arizona Diamondbacks. March/April Pitchers of the Month #3 - Tyler Rogers - 15.1 IP, 0.59 ERA, 8 K, 4 BB, 7 holds, 2.87 FIP The submariner, Tyler Rogers, has been electric since signing with Toronto in free agency, allowing only one earned run this season. His deceptive arm motion usually leads to a high strikeout-to-walk rate, but this season, his 6.8 percent K-BB% is a career low over his eight MLB seasons. Though the sample is small, this is just the second time that rate has been below 12.5 percent. Rogers was a candidate to close games once Jeff Hoffman was removed from the role, but Louis Varland has seemingly been cemented into the closer role. This setup allows Rogers to continue thriving, entering the game in the eighth inning and helping to hold the lead. #2 - Dylan Cease - 31.1 IP, 2.87 ERA, 49 K, 17 BB, 1.82 FIP Dylan Cease has been worth every penny the Blue Jays gave him in the offseason. He ranks fourth in strikeouts among all MLB starting pitchers, but he's the only one to have thrown 12 strikeouts in a game twice. In fact, there's only been one other pitcher to strike out 12 batters in a game, the Brewers' Kyle Harrison. Allowing walks has always been a struggle for Cease, and this season is no different. He's given up two or more free passes in all six of his starts. With the high walk and strikeout totals, the righty builds up a high pitch count, which means he has only pitched six innings once. However, he's thrown more than 165 innings in five straight seasons, so he should continue to provide a Blue Jays team that's bleeding from injuries with a stable top-of-the-rotation arm. #1 - Louis Varland - 16 IP, 0.56 ERA, 26 K, 4 BB, 3 holds, 4 saves, 0.62 FIP The MVP of the bullpen has been Louis Varland. He has been thrust into games in high-leverage, mid-inning situations and has been outstanding. It's not his first time being used in high-leverage situations, as he had 17 holds for the Minnesota Twins over 49 innings before being traded to the Blue Jays at last season's trade deadline. Though it's come in a small sample, his 43.3 strikeout percentage is a career high over his five MLB seasons. His success has made him the man to take over the ninth inning after Hoffman's struggles got him removed from the closer role. Varland has converted all four of his save chances while allowing only one run and striking out seven in those outings. He has a firm grasp on the role and doesn't look like he'll relinquish his duties anytime soon. View full article

Stats in this article were updated prior to games on April 28. Daulton Varsho has been known over his career for his exceptional defense in the outfield. In 2024, he won a Gold Glove Award for center field because he led all MLB players with a +16 Fielding Run Value and +28 Defensive Runs Saved. He also finished with +15 Outs Above Average, which put him in the 99th percentile among MLB fielders. Varsho's outstanding 2024 season was cut short by a shoulder strain, which forced him to miss the last 14 games. Despite the shoulder injury, he ranked in the 88th percentile in arm value and 40th percentile in arm strength. The Blue Jays center fielder missed the first 28 games of the 2025 season, recovering from offseason rotator cuff surgery. The surgery and other injuries would force Varsho to miss a total of 91 games that season. It was the first time since 2022 that he did not play in more than 135 games, and it was obvious he wasn't himself when he was on the field. The range was still there last season. His +9 Outs Above Average ranked him in the 95th percentile. However, his arm value and strength were markedly lower following his rotator cuff surgery, ranking at the 21st and 5th percentiles, respectively. His average throw velocity dropped from 83.7 mph in 2024 to 73.7 mph in 2025. With the decline, runners weren't afraid to take an extra base when baseballs were hit in Varsho's direction. His arm velocity has improved this season (79.7 mph), but it still isn't back to 100 percent. Varsho's right arm health isn't the only issue affecting his defense. A knee injury on April 17 this season has noticeably decreased his speed. He exited the game early on April 17 and only missed the next two games, but it's not clear whether something else is contributing to the speed decline, since it began before the injury was announced. His sprint speed has slipped from 28.4 mph in 2025 to 26.7 mph, putting him in the 37th percentile. The lack of speed has worsened his range, leaving him with just +1 Outs Above Average (71st percentile) a month into the season. His reaction times have also declined, with his outfielder jump on contact at a career low. This metric measures how many feet a defender travels in the correct direction within the first three seconds after a ball is hit. Varho's feet covered versus the average this season is -2.1. It's the first time in his career that this stat has been negative. In each of the last two seasons, Varsho had a +3.2 feet vs. average rating, which further proves there's a lingering issue. He's only averaging a total of 31.7 feet covered, nearly six feet fewer than in each of the last two seasons. Despite physical setbacks from injuries, the Blue Jays center fielder is still posting respectable defensive numbers and remains a key part of the team's defense. Varsho is only 29, so he still has time to heal up and return to his former elite defensive skills. View full article