Bryan Jaeger

This year's All-Star Game will be held July 15 in the Atlanta Braves' Truist Park. The rosters are determined by fan voting for the starters at each position, while the players and the commissioner's office choose the reserves and the pitchers. The Blue Jays are off to a 36-30 start, are four games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East, and are half a game ahead in the Wild Card standings. With this success, the Blue Jays should receive a few All-Star selections. The issue is that no one on the roster is guaranteed to make the trip to the Midsummer Classic, unless Vladimir Guerrero Jr. can win the fan vote or earn his peers' vote because of his popularity and solid performance this season. Brendon Little is another Blue Jay who deserves All-Star consideration, but this is the lefty's first full season in the big leagues. So, is he too much of an unknown to make his first All-Star appearance? Little's MLB debut was short-lived in 2022, when he threw two-thirds of an inning for the Cubs and gave up three earned runs. He was sent back down to Triple-A Iowa shortly afterward. He spent all of 2023 in Iowa, pitching to a 4.05 ERA and striking out 73 in 73 1/3 innings. In the following offseason, the Blue Jays acquired the 28-year-old for cash considerations. They are reaping the rewards this season. In 30 innings, Little has a 2.10 ERA, a 44:16 strikeout-to-walk ratio, 12 holds, and two saves. Due to a stellar pitching arsenal, batters are hitting .185 against the lefty, and Little has an impressive 1.17 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP). According to Baseball Savant, he throws his knuckle curve and sinker 47.5 and 46 percent of the time, respectively. These pitches have Little in the 94th percentile or higher in expected batting average, as well as chase, whiff, strikeout, and groundball percentages. His knuckle curve is the most dangerous pitch in his arsenal. This pitch has held batters to a .136 batting average, a .169 slugging percentage, and fooled opponents with a 60.2 whiff percentage. Little has finished 64 plate appearances with the pitch this season, and 38 have ended in a strikeout. Little's pitch mix in 2024 and 2025, via Baseball Savant The whiff percentage for the knuckle curve has improved by 16.5 percent from last season. His sinker is dropping even more than it did last season, and his whiff percentage on the sinker has increased from 21.5 to 36.1 percent. These increases are a massive reason why Little is succeeding and could potentially earn an All-Star appearance. Little's biggest hurdle is that, with his short MLB history, he is not a known name outside of Toronto. Also, after allowing an earned run on April 25, Little went 15 games without allowing another earned run. He has since allowed an earned run in each of his last two appearances, raising his ERA to 2.10. Pitchers get 12 spots on the All-Star team (although that number could rise as replacements are added), and relievers get at least three of those. With popular relievers Jhoan Duran, Tommy Kahnle, Josh Hader, and Andrés Muñoz having successful seasons, Little's chances to earn a bid were already slim, but his recent struggles make a Midsummer Classic trip seem almost impossible. To salvage his All-Star bid, shutout innings will be vital for the rest of June as he strives to reach the top of the AL reliever leaderboards. Stats, standings, and rankings updated prior to games on June 10.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider recently made it clear that the newly-reinstated Daulton Varsho "is going to play...and he's going to play center" (per Sportsnet's Shi Davidi). Everyone expected Varsho to be the starting center fielder, but Schneider's comments suggest Varsho won't sit much to rest between a string of starts. Schneider has also said he wants Anthony Santander to get more time in the outfield. These circumstances mean the manager has some puzzle pieces to work with as he decides who will handle left and right field going forward. Santander, George Springer, Alan Roden, Myles Straw, Nathan Lukes, and Addison Barger alternated in the outfield while Varsho was injured. However, with Varsho returning to center field full-time and Schneider wanting more outfield reps for Santander, finding playing time for all the outfielders on the roster will be rather complicated. Defensively, the Blue Jays are loaded with outfield talent. Straw won a Gold Glove Award in 2022 while playing center field for the Cleveland Guardians. Barger ranked in the 99th percentile in arm strength during his brief debut last season, and he also plays third base, having started 29 games at the position last season. Santander has a .988 fielding percentage over 617 career games in the corner outfield positions with 30 assists. Springer has played 838 career games in the corner outfields (only two of those have been in left field) with 43 assists and a .989 fielding percentage. Roden and Lukes have limited experience in the corner outfield positions in the big leagues, playing less than 50 total games. Between both positions, they have a .979 and .985 fielding percentage with three and five assists, respectively. In the minor leagues, Roden, in 234 games, posted a .990 fielding percentage with 18 assists, and Lukes, in 372 games, posted a .995 fielding percentage and 29 assists. So, how will Schneider decide his lineup? For most of the season, the designated hitter role has belonged to Santander, with Springer also making a handful of starts. Santander and Springer will likely continue to rotate at DH to give their aging bodies a break, but Varsho and catcher Alejandro Kirk may also get time in the role for a rest day here and there. Between Santander and Springer, whoever isn't DH on a given day is likely to handle right field due to the lack of left field experience, Barger's starting status could force Schneider's hand. Springer only has one start in left field in his career (Santander has 79), but they may see more time there when Barger starts to take advantage of his strong arm in right field. If Barger doesn't get the start, you will see Roden, Straw, or Lukes in left field. Managers usually like right-handed hitters versus left-handed pitchers and vice versa. So, since Straw is the only right-handed hitter, he will likely handle left field against lefties. Against righties, Roden had been getting the starts, but he is mired in an 0-25 slump, leading to him only starting one game of two versus a righty after Varsho's return, though that start was due to Springer having a day off, leaving an opening in the lineup. I was surprised that one of Roden, Barger, or Lukes wasn't sent down after Varsho was added to the 26-man roster. Roden seemed the obvious choice to be demoted because of his struggles at the plate, hitting .181 with a .520 OPS, and 52 wRC+. The 25-year-old has made the majority of the starts in left to start the season, but Lukes has brought his OPS up to .707 to go along with a 109 wRC+, and he's seen more playing time recently, getting hits in four of his last five starts. Barger offers key versatility being able to play third base. With Roden's struggles, Schneider started Barger in the previous two games against righties after Varsho returned. One of those starts was at third. Will Wagner seems more useful to the club in a vacuum with the ability to play first, second, and third base. If he gets hot in the minor leagues or any injury to the infield happens, it'll be interesting to see how Schneider decides to play the corner outfield spots. However, if Roden continues to struggle, he may find himself the odd man out as he tries to right the ship in Triple-A.

While rehabbing his shoulder, Daulton Varsho played 12 games in spring training as the designated hitter. Over 20 at-bats, he had an OPS of .994, four home runs, and nine RBI. It was a great showing at the plate, but his surgically repaired shoulder was not ready for him to break camp with the team. Last week, he successfully threw from 150 and 165 feet. This week, the goal is for Varsho to throw from the outfield to the bases and return to regular game-speed throwing. If successful, the center fielder expects to spend a week playing full extended spring training games before going to Triple-A Buffalo for a few games and returning to the big leagues. The Blue Jays have Nathan Lukes and Myles Straw splitting time in centerfield based on the pitcher. Lukes, a 30-year-old rookie, starts against righties, and Straw, a 30-year-old four-year veteran, starts against lefties. The team also has 25-year-old rookie Alan Roden, who has started at both corner outfield positions as an option to send down if the front office wanted to move Lukes and Straw to right field. This is unlikely to happen with the rookie's struggles, slashing .229/.317/.286 with zero home runs and only two RBI over his first 35 big-league at-bats. Between Straw and Lukes, Straw has been much more successful on the offensive side of the ball, slashing .350/.381/.381 and a 143 wRC+ over 20 at-bats. Lukes is struggling in his first trip to the majors, slashing .158/.273/.158 with a 40 wRC+ in 19 at-bats. When Varsho returns, he will be slotted into center field and likely have a few starts at designated hitter to ease him into a full workload. This situation means it is likely that either Lukes or Straw will be sent down to Triple-A Buffalo. Both have an option available. Varsho is a left-handed hitter like Lukes, which means Lukes will likely be the player sent down. This move allows the rookie plenty of at-bats to work out his struggles in case he is needed back in Toronto later in the season. It will also enable Straw to make starts against a lefty, allowing Varsho to have an off day or start at DH. Whichever option the Blue Jays go with, they will gladly have Varsho's power back. The 28-year-old does not reliably hit for average, posting just a .214 average last season, but he has hit 20 and 18 home runs since coming over from the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023, respectively. Last season, he had a 93 wRC+ and a wins above replacement of 3.3.

Over Andrés Giménez's first five seasons in the big leagues, he was a defensive specialist who could contribute occasionally on offense. He has won three straight Gold Glove Awards and a Platinum Glove Award in 2023 for being the best defensive player in the American League, but the star second baseman's offense didn't come up often. His most productive season at the plate was 2022, when he hit 17 home runs with 69 RBI, both career bests, over 491 at-bats. This season, in only 26 at-bats, Giménez has three home runs and six runs batted in with an OPS of 1.131. That is .294 percent higher than his career-high .837 percentage set in 2022. What has led to Giménez's power surge? While in Cleveland, Giménez had a somewhat defensive swing, greatly reducing the power through his hips. His stance included a wider base than now, he was closer to the plate, oddly had his feet turned slightly out, and his stride included a toe-tap before stepping to the ball to begin his swing. This approach limited the rotation in the hips, where hitters generate their power. It is an approach hitters usually take with two strikes to shorten their swing to make contact and put the ball in play. This signified that the 26-year-old wanted a more contact swing than a power swing. Since Giménez joined the Blue Jays, hitting coach David Popkins has been working with the lefty to tweak his swing to offer more pop. Popkins was the hitting coach for the Minnesota Twins for three seasons before joining the Blue Jays this season, so he had experience watching the former division rival and knew there was untapped potential. Popkins wanted Giménez to bring back a version of his swing from his time with the New York Mets in 2020 and Cleveland's Triple-A in 2021. There, Giménez had an open stance with a high leg kick that produced a higher exit velocity, but he struggled in the big leagues that season when he got called up by the Guardians. He had five home runs and 16 runs batted in over 188 at-bats and slashed an abysmal .633 OPS. These struggles led him to transition to a more contact swing, which worked as he had his career year at the plate in 2022. However, Popkins knew Giménez could provide more production offensively. Thanks to Baseball Savant's new batting stance we can see the difference very clearly. Giménez's 2024 batting stance is on the left, and 2025 is on the right. The work with Popkins has narrowed Giménez's formerly wide stance by eight inches, opened it 16 degrees, and moved him three inches further back in the box. Giménez also looks more upright in the box and brought back a more subtle leg kick that helps his upper body stay closed before initiating his swing. These adjustments allow him to get more torque in his lower half, resulting in faster bat speed, contributing to his massive power increase early in the season. The change will likely result in more strikeouts, but the massive OPS difference is a solid trade. There's no way to be sure that the adjustments we can see are the reason behind Giménez's power surge. Players change their stances all the time and for all sorts of reasons without dramatic results. However, the Blue Jays seem to be reaping the rewards from these mechanical changes. It's early, but Giménez's average exit velocity is up by nearly 4 mph from last year, and his hard-hit rate is up nearly eight percentage points. These are enormous gains. Giménez is batting in the four-hole and has been the power producer early this season. He leads the team in runs scored, home runs, and runs batted in. George Springer and Tyler Heineman are the only other Blue Jays with a home run, but they have only one each. The power of stars like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Anthony Santander will eventually come, but for now, Blue Jays fans will enjoy watching Giménez's new-found power stroke.

The Blue Jays got some encouraging news last week, as an MRI on reliever Erik Swanson's ailing right elbow revealed a median nerve entrapment, rather than structural damage. He received a cortisone shot and will be able to begin throwing in the next couple of days. With Opening Day on March 27, Swanson likely starts the season on the injured list. Nerve injuries are always tricky because there is no set timetable for a return, but the righty is not expected to miss an extended perid of time. If Swanson does begin the season on the IL, the back end of the Blue Jays bullpen will feel his absence. Swanson struggled and got demoted during the first half of the 2024 season, but he was a completely different pitcher in the second half of the season, throwing 24 2/3 innings, posting a 2.55 ERA and holding opponents to a batting average of .172. Swanson was outstanding on the mound in 2022 and 2023, posting 1.68 and 2.97 ERAs, respectively. Although it's certainly due for some positive regression after being the worst unit in baseball in 2024, the Blue Jays bullpen looks to be a massive weakness. Free agent signees Jeff Hoffman and Yimi García are the only projected relievers who finished 2024 with ERA under 3.85. García and Chad Green will fill the set-up roles. The Blue Jays will need to hope that Swanson's stint on the IL is short and that when he returns, he's not the early 2024 version. If (or more realistically, when) the team loses a reliever with a longer-term injury, they won't have many great options to fill in. According to FanGraphs' depth charts, Toronto is projected to get just 2.4 WAR from its bullpen, which ranks 20th in baseball.