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  • MLB Notes

    Read quick notes on the Toronto Blue Jays big league club, including injuries, lineup changes and roster moves.

    173 rumors in this category

      Leo Morgenstern

      According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Blue Jays are "expected" to meet with Tarik Skubal next week in California. Heyman lists the Mets, Dodgers, and Padres among the other clubs that are currently preparing to meet with the top free agent on the market.

      Skubal is arguably the best pitcher in baseball. Over the last four years, he has produced a 2.47 ERA in 103 starts, striking out 31.1% of his opponents. He won the AL Cy Young Award in 2024 and '25.

      In a weak free agent class, Skubal stands head and shoulders above everyone else. He is widely expected to sign a record-breaking contract for a starting pitcher. The Blue Jays are one of a handful of teams that could realistically pay his asking price, but fans in Toronto might not be ready to get their hopes up. The Jays have been burned by the top-ranked free agents in each of the last three offseasons. 

      Leo Morgenstern

      Reporting from the Aria Hotel in Las Vegas, Sportsnet's Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith suggest there is "a little mutual interest" between the Toronto Blue Jays and Brandon Lowe. However, they note that any talks between the two sides are "still in their initial stages."

      The second baseman makes a lot of sense as a target for Toronto. His 35 home runs, 96 RBI, 121 wRC+, and 4.9 fWAR would have led all Blue Jays hitters in 2026. Even better, he hits from the left-hand side, while the team's top three projected hitters for 2027 (Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk, and Kazuma Okamoto) all bat righty. Defensively speaking, the Jays have room at the keystone. Ernie Clement started at second this past season, but he is best-suited for a utility role. 

      The downside when it comes to Lowe is that he received a qualifying offer from the Pirates. The Blue Jays will likely sign one QO free agent this winter, but it's harder to imagine they'd sign two. That means adding Lowe could prevent them from pursuing any of the other seven players who received qualifying offers.

      Leo Morgenstern

      The results of the BBWAA's Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award were announced this evening. Sal Stewart of the Reds won in the National League, while Kevin McGonigle of the Tigers won in the American League.

      Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto finished seventh in the AL. He was named on 11 of 30 ballots, receiving one third-place vote, four fourth-place votes, and six fifth-place votes.

      Okamoto set franchise rookie records with 33 home runs and 92 RBI in his first MLB season. Unfortunately, he also set a new franchise record – and not just a rookie record – with 183 strikeouts. Nonetheless, it was overall a very successful campaign, and the down-ballot Rookie of the Year votes he received reflect that. 

      Leo Morgenstern

      David Bell is leaving the Blue Jays after two years with the organization, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The former Reds manager joined the Jays as an assistant general manager and vice president of baseball operations during the 2024-25 offseason.

       

      Shi Davidi of Sportsnet confirmed the report, adding that Toronto is seeking a new executive to replace Bell in the front office. It's not yet clear if that new hire would take over all of Bell's previous duties. As assistant GM and VP of baseball operations. Bell managed two departments for the Blue Jays: player development and physical & mental performance. 

       

      According to the Blue Jays' staff directory, the team still employs four VPs of baseball operations and two assistant GMs. 

      Leo Morgenstern

      On Monday, the Baseball Writers Association of America announced the top three vote-getters for each of its five awards: MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, and the brand-new Relief Pitcher of the Year.  

      While no Blue Jays made the podium for MVP, RotY, or MotY, Dylan Cease and Louis Varland were named "finalists" for the Cy Young and the inaugural Relief Pitcher of the Year Award, respectively. The winners of both awards will be announced on Wednesday, November 11. 

      Cease is likely to finish as the Cy Young runner-up, behind the Yankees' Cam Schlittler and ahead of the Guardians' Parker Messick. Varland has a better chance to win his award, unless it turns out the BBWAA voters value saves significantly more than anything else. Fellow finalists Bryan Baker of the Rays and Cade Smith of the Guardians tied for the MLB lead in saves, but Varland outperformed both of them in almost every other category. 

      Leo Morgenstern

      The Blue Jays announced a transaction ahead of their game tonight against the Rangers. Michael Lorenzen has been designated for assignment after six appearances for Toronto. He gave up 11 runs on 18 hits in 11.2 innings. He took the fall for two losses, but also earned his first save since 2023.

      In place of Lorenzen, the Blue Jays have added 25-year-old José Rodríguez to their bullpen. If he gets in a game, it will be his MLB debut. The right-hander owns a 3.79 ERA and 3.56 FIP in 38 innings this year between the Blue Jays' and Dodgers' minor league systems. Toronto acquired him earlier this month in exchange for fellow minor league right-hander Sebastian Rodriguez.

      Bryan Jaeger

      The Jesús Sánchez experiment has ended. He’s been a liability on defense, with routine fly balls being dropped. At the plate, he’s been a decent addition, hitting .260/.318/.416 with eight home runs, 24 runs, and 35 RBIs. However, with the Blue Jays fighting for a Wild Card spot, the poor defense couldn’t be ignored any longer, and he couldn’t be moved to DH, with George Springer implanted in the role.

      The Blue Jays have plenty of outfield depth, which made DFA'ing Sánchez an easier decision. In a corresponding move, Toronto has called up Rudy Martin Jr. for his MLB debut. He's a 30-year-old who has played 12 seasons in the minor leagues. He was traded from the Kansas City Royals to the Baltimore Orioles on July 18. Two days later, he was DFA’d, and on July 23, the Blue Jays claimed him. 

      Since joining Triple-A Buffalo on July 25, he’s posted a .730 OPS with three home runs, 16 runs, and 11 RBIs. He also has 12 stolen bases in 27 games. Martin brings more speed to a team that has improved its running game. In August, they stole successfully on 20 of 22 attempts, which was the first time they attempted more than 20 steals in a month since April 2025. The most important part of this move is that the defense drastically improves. Martin, a left-handed bat, will likely share a platoon role with Myles Straw.

      Leo Morgenstern

      The Blue Jays have placed Shane Bieber on the 15-day injured list with right teres major inflammation. Chad Dallas has been recalled to take his place on the active roster.

      With just over a month left in the 2026 regular season, there's no small chance this marks the end of Bieber's tenure with the Blue Jays. He will be a free agent at the end of the year. 

      Toronto is still in the postseason picture, sitting just two games back of the final Wild Card spot, but pulling off a comeback will be even harder without Bieber in the rotation. The 2020 AL Cy Young winner dominated the Yankees and Rays in his last two starts.

      Dylan Cease and José Soriano are a strong top two, but now the Jays will have to rely even more heavily on 42-year-old Max Scherzer and the just-off-the-IL Spencer Arrighetti. They'll also hope that Jameson Taillon and Trey Yesavage can return from the IL at some point in September. Of course, Bieber himself could return in September too, but we won't know more about the severity of his injury until the team provides an update.

      Leo Morgenstern

      The Blue Jays swapped out an experienced righty for a rookie southpaw earlier today. Matt Waldron has been designated for assignment after a couple of weeks with the Jays. The 29-year-old made four appearances, pitching 4.1 innings and giving up five runs. Taking his place will be Brendan Cellucci, who is looking to make his MLB debut.

      Cellucci, 28, signed a minor league contract with Toronto over the offseason. He spent the first several years of his professional career in the Red Sox's system. The lefty owns a 3.68 ERA and 4.24 xERA in 44 innings for Triple-A Buffalo this season. 

      Leo Morgenstern

      Yeah, I know, I'm a little late to the party on this. But we couldn't just not have anything on the site about all the news from before today's game. Here's the rundown:

      • Ricky Tiedemann was promoted for his MLB debut.
      • Chase Lee was optioned back to Buffalo. That's option number five for Lee this season. 
      • Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is in concussion protocol. He's out for at least a week.
      • Daz Cameron had his contract selected from Triple-A Buffalo. He's on the roster now.
      • Lazaro Estrada was designated for assignment. Similar to Lee, he had been optioned the maximum number of times, which limited his flexibility. A player can't be optioned more than five times in a season.

      Tiedemann made his debut this afternoon, tossing 1.2 innings. He gave up one run on two hits and struck out two. 

      Jesse Burrill

      The Toronto Blue Jays have claimed right-handed pitcher Paul Sewald, who was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks earlier in the week.

      Sewald, a veteran of 10 MLB seasons, has a 6.23 ERA this season. He has 110 major league saves in his career.

      The righty will join a Blue Jays bullpen that has thrown more innings as a unit than any team in baseball since August 1 and is in need of reinforcements.

      Sewald is primarily a fastball-slider pitcher. He had a 3.18 ERA entering June 23rd but has allowed 17 earned runs in 14 innings since then. He now gives John Schneider another veteran option with major league experience in the back end of the bullpen.

      Leo Morgenstern

      The Blue Jays placed right-hander Jameson Taillon on the 15-day injured list today with right forearm tendinitis. He exited yesterday's game early, citing tightness in his pitching arm. He had thrown four scoreless innings against the Red Sox.

      Taillon is the latest member of the Blue Jays' rotation to hit the IL. He joins Trey Yesavage, Patrick Corbin and fellow trade acquisition Spencer Arrighetti on the shelf, as well as José Berríos, Cody Ponce, and Bowden Francis, all of whom are out for the season. Dylan Cease, Shane Bieber, and Max Scherzer also spent time on the IL earlier this year.

      The Blue Jays recalled Chase Lee to take Taillon's spot on the active roster. The team has several candidates to take Taillon's next turn in the rotation, including Spencer Miles, Simeon Woods Richardson, and Matt Waldron, who are all currently pitching out of the bullpen. More starting depth in the minors includes Lazaro Estrada, Chad Dallas, and CJ Van Eyk.

      Bryan Jaeger

      Brett Bateman, 24, was one of the two prospects that the Toronto Blue Jays acquired in the trade that sent Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs. Bateman is replacing Luis Urías, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained quad. Rudy Martin Jr. was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. 

      In Triple A this season, Bateman slashed .311/.429/.416 with 61 runs, three home runs, 33 knocked in, and 20 stolen bases. He adds more depth in the outfield and a left-handed bat off the bench. He could platoon in center field with Myles Straw, so he may not have to wait long to make his debut.

      Leo Morgenstern

      The Blue Jays and Rangers have agreed on a trade that will send utility player Josh Smith and minor league right-hander Josh Stephan to Toronto in exchange for left-hander Adam Macko. Evan Grant (The Dallas Morning News) and Ken Rosenthal (The Athletic) had the scoop.

      Smith, 28, has played every position except pitcher and catcher, though third base is where he's most comfortable. The lefty batter hit .254 with 23 home runs, 23 steals, a 107 wRC+ and 4.7 fWAR in just under 300 games with the Rangers from 2024-25. However, a glute strain limited his playing time this year, and he has struggled at the plate over 45 games, batting just .213 with one home run and a 65 wRC+. His underlying quality-of-contact metrics aren't much better.

      This isn't a needle-moving acquisition for Toronto, but Smith is a versatile depth piece. He has options remaining, and he's under team control through arbitration in 2027 and '28, should the Jays choose to keep him around.

      Macko, 25, is part of the Teoscar Hernández trade tree. He joined the Blue Jays organization from the Mariners in 2022 and made his MLB debut earlier this year. The southpaw has a 4.91 ERA/4.88 xERA in 22 innings for the Jays, and a 4.07 ERA/4.41 xERA in another 24.1 frames with Triple-A Buffalo. 

      The Jays have optioned and recalled Macko several times this year, but he ranks second among the team's left-handers in appearances. It's worth wondering if Ross Atkins is planning to add some new left-handed depth to replace him on the roster.

      Finally, Stephan, 24, has spent the season with the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate. He has a 5.44 ERA/4.98 xERA in 101 innings pitched. FanGraphs ranked him as the team's No. 21 prospect at the beginning of the season. They gave him a 40 FV grade, describing his "perfect-world outcome" as a No. 5 starter, though a future as a spot starter/long reliever seems more likely.

      Bryan Jaeger

      The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired Jameson Taillon from the Chicago Cubs for cash considerations on Sunday, August 2. He was designated for assignment on July 27, but the move adds depth to a pitching staff that has been plagued by injuries all season. However, it may also be a precursor to a move that sees Kevin Gausman or Shane Bieber dealt away, as they're both available.

      Taillon has struggled this season, posting a 5.92 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 68:27 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 76 innings. He pitched for Team Canada in the 2013 and 2026 World Baseball Classic, so it's a full-circle moment seeing him in Toronto. The Blue Jays are short on MLB-ready starting pitchers, especially if Gausman and/or Bieber are dealt, so Taillon brings experience to a starting rotation hoping to still be competitive in the second half of the season.

       

      Leo Morgenstern

      The Blue Jays have placed Patrick Corbin on the 15-day injured list with a teres major strain. The left-hander gave up four runs on seven hits over 2.1 innings in his latest outing. He owns an 8.18 ERA in four appearances since moving to the bullpen. Corbin is known for his durability; this is his first non-COVID-related IL stint since he had Tommy John surgery in 2014.

      In Corbin's place, Toronto recalled fellow southpaw Adam Macko. The rookie got off to a hot start for the Blue Jays, holding his opponents scoreless in 14 of his first 15 games. Unfortunately, he has given up nine runs in five innings over his last four appearances for the big league club. He now owns a 5.03 ERA (and a 4.80 xERA) on the season, with a 4.18 ERA/4.08 xERA at Triple-A Buffalo.

      In an additional transaction, the Jays sent a struggling Sean Keys back down to the Bisons. The 23-year-old dominated minor league pitching over the first three months of the season, earning his call to the show in late June. Since then, he has often looked overwhelmed by major league arms, going just 6-for-36 with one walk, one home run, and 13 strikeouts. He only played in four of the team's last 10 games.

      Davis Schneider will return to replace Keys on the bench. The fan favourite has been the definition of a quad-A player this year. He has embarrassed minor league pitching in a couple of stints with the Buffalo Bisons (173 wRC+), but frustratingly, he's never looked worse at the major league level.

      Leo Morgenstern

      According to reporter Ari Alexander of 7News Boston, the Toronto Blue Jays have claimed outfielder Rudy Martin Jr. off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles. 

      Martin, 30, has had a long minor league career, primarily in the Kansas City Royals organization. Drafted in 2014, he finally made it onto a 40-man roster earlier this month, when he exercised an upward mobility clause in his latest minor league pact with Kansas City, prompting a trade to Baltimore. The Orioles added him to their 40-man roster last week, but they subsequently DFA'd him on Monday. 

      Martin will presumably report to Triple-A Buffalo, though he will need a spot on Toronto's 40-man roster. The Jays could move Addison Barger or Lenyn Sosa to the 60-day IL to make room. 

      In 64 games between Double and Triple A this season, the lefty-batting Martin is hitting .284 with a 127 wRC+ and 33 stolen bases. He has played all three outfield positions.

      Leo Morgenstern

      In the five-year, $110 million contract that Kevin Gausman signed with the Toronto Blue Jays before the 2022 season, the right-hander negotiated a limited no-trade clause. He has the right to reject a trade to eight of the other 29 teams. 

      Today, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported which teams those are: the Reds, Brewers, Tigers, Mets, Athletics, White Sox, Pirates, and Mariners.

      Of those teams, the Reds, Mets, and Athletics will not be buyers at the trade deadline, while the Tigers are still on the fence. The Pirates are interested in buying without taking on salary. The Mariners will be buying, but starting pitching is the one thing they definitely don't need. In other words, most of the teams that might be interested in Gausman aren't covered under his partial no-trade clause. And if a contender like the White Sox or especially the Brewers came calling, there's a good chance Gausman would accept a trade anyway.

      With that said, Gausman told reporters (including MLB.com's Keegan Matheson) after his latest start, "I'm not going to think about [the possibility of being traded] too much. I'm a Blue Jay right now, and the focus is this team, this room and those guys."

      Leo Morgenstern

      No one knows how CBA negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA will affect the 2027 season. However, we now know what the schedule will look like, presuming no prolonged work stoppage. 

      The season will begin with one game on Wednesday, March 24. The teams for that game have not yet been announced. 

      Opening Day for the Blue Jays will be Thursday, March 25, 2027, unless they're chosen to play the day before. They will take on the Yankees in a three-game set in the Bronx, before travelling to Baltimore for a series with the Orioles. 

      The home opener is set for Friday, April 2, against the Mariners. 

      The Jays will be home for Canada Day (facing the Angels) before departing on a 10-game road trip heading into the All-Star break. The Midsummer Classic is scheduled for July 13 at Wrigley Field.

      Finally, the Blue Jays will end their 2027 regular season at home with series against the Yankees and Rays, wrapping up on September 26. You can find their full 2027 schedule here.

      Leo Morgenstern

      In a surprising move, the Blue Jays are trading right-handed reliever Tommy Nance to the Twins. ESPN's Alden Gonzalez was the first to report the trade.

      According to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith, the Blue Jays will receive catching prospect Ryan Sprock in exchange for Nance.

      This news might concern Blue Jays fans with the implication that the team will be selling at the deadline. However, it's more likely that they simply got an offer that they decided was too good to pass up for a middle reliever who's out of options. If the Jays pursue bullpen upgrades later this month, there's a good chance Nance would have been out of a job anyway, and this move guarantees the Blue Jays don't lose him for nothing. 

      Steve Drumwright

       

      Despite a first half filled with struggles, the defending AL champion Toronto Blue Jays will have two players starting in the All-Star Game. Two pitchers are going, too.

      With second baseman Ernie Clement having punched his ticket as the top vote-getter among AL players in the first round of voting, first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was also voted in by the fans in results announced Saturday. Right-handed starter Dylan Cease and right-handed reliever Louis Varland were also named to the team.

      The All-Star Game is July 14 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. While Guerrero is in for the sixth straight time, Clement, Cease and Varland are first-time All-Stars. Guerrero said he will sit out the game to rest his lower back, which has been hurting him.

      Jays manager John Schneider will manage the AL team.

      Clement, a Blue Jays fan favorite, entered Saturday with a slash line of .295/.319/.434 with seven homers and 29 RBIs. He leads the AL with 22 doubles.

      Guerrero has had a subpar first half with a slash line of .268/.349/.350 and just four homers and 35 RBIs. His career slash line is .287/.364/.484 and has hit at least 23 homers in the previous five seasons.

      Cease has a 2.79 ERA in 16 starts and 90⅓ innings with an 11% walk rate and career-best 36.7% strikeout rate.

       

      Varland, acquired at last year’s trade deadline from the Minnesota Twins and a key bullpen component as they made their World Series run, has a 0.96 ERA in 47 innings over 42 games. He has a 7.2% walk rate and career-best 35.9% strikeout rate.

      The nine starters for each team were determined by two rounds of fan balloting, with Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Clement getting automatically selected to start by virtue of leading the first round in the NL and AL, respectively.

      The 23 reserves, which includes 12 pitchers as that position is not up for voting, are selected by player voting and the Commissioner's Office, which ensures that each team has a representative in the game.

       

      Steve Drumwright

       

      The Toronto Blues are going to have to make do without George Springer for a few days. For a good reason.

      The Jays on Wednesday placed the designated hitter on the paternity list and called up outfielder Jonatan Clase from Triple-A Buffalo.

      Springer, who is slashing .221/.308/.373 this year, is allowed to be away from the team for up to three days for the birth of a child.

      Clase is up with the Jays for the first time this season. At Triple-A, the switch-hitter was slashing .223/.321/.359 with five homers, 23 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 53 games. He has appeared in 60 games with the Jays over the last two seasons with a .224/.294/.311 slash line, hitting three homers and driving in 14.

       

      Steve Drumwright

       

       

      The call-up of Sean Keys is official, but it comes at the same time as a key injury.

      The Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday selected the contract of Keys, a corner infielder, from Triple-A Buffalo so he can make his MLB debut. The Jays also called up outfielder Yohendrick Pinango from Buffalo, while placing outfielder Jesus Sanchez on the 10-day injured list with a sprained right ankle and optioning outfielder Davis Schneider to Triple-A.

      Room on the 40-man roster for Keys was made Friday with right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson being designated for assignment. The news of Keys' promotion broke Friday. He has hit 21 homers this season between Double-A and Triple-A.

      Sanchez's injury is new, however. He left Friday's 5-4 loss to the Texas Rangers as he smacked into the wall while backtracking to catch a fly ball to end the seventh inning. Sanchez, acquired in the offseason in a trade with the Houston Astros, has been a key part of the Jays' offense and is slashing .274/.316/.437 with seven homers and 29 RBIs in 73 games.

      Pinango is up with the Jays for the third time this season. He has a .283/.331/.433 slash line in 43 games, hitting four homers and driving in 18.

      Schneider is back in Buffalo for the second time this season. He was initially sent down to try and straighten out his lack of offense, but was needed back up due to an injury. Schneider has put up a .222/.241/.519 slash line with two homers and four RBIs in 11 games since returning, improving his overall numbers to .153/.282/.296 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 49 games.

       

       

      Steve Drumwright

       

      Despite not allowing a run, Simeon Woods Richardson's stay with the Toronto Blue Jays didn't last very long.

      The right-hander was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on Friday to make room for left-handed reliever Adam Macko.

      Woods Richardson, acquired June 3 from the Minnesota Twins for cash after being DFA'd, made three relief appearances for the Jays, throwing 10 scoreless innings while allowing four hits and seven walks with five strikeouts. The walks could have been a contributing factor to Woods Richardson being DFA'd by the Jays.

      With the Twins, Woods Richardson had a 6.17 FIP (7.74 ERA) in 10 starts and two relief appearances covering 47⅔ innings with an 11% walk rate and 11.5% strikeout rate. His walk rate with the Jays in the small sample size was 18.4%, with his strikeout rate up a bit to 13.2%.

      Macko gives the Jays a much-needed second left-hander in the bullpen next to Mason Fluharty. Macko is up for the second time this season after making his MLB debut in May. In 12 games, Macko has a 2.94 FIP (1.50 ERA) with a 4.2% walk rate and 25% strikeout rate over 12 innings.

       

      Steve Drumwright

      The Toronto Blue Jays are getting a power boost.

      Corner infielder Sean Keys, Jays Centre's No. 7 prospect, is reportedly being called up from Triple-A Buffalo to make his MLB debut. The move will be made before Saturday's game. Keys hit his 21st homer of the season Thursday for Buffalo.

      That followed a two-homer game Wednesday. Keys now has seven homers since being called up from Double-A New Hampshire on June 5.

      Between the two stops, Keys is slashing .284/.409/.619 with 54 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 67 games. At Buffalo, he has a .281/.403/.719 slash line with 20 RBIs in 18 games.

      Keys was the Jays' fourth-round draft choice in 2024 out of Bucknell.

      Moves to accommodate Keys on the 26- and 40-man rosters will need to be made, much less where he fits into the Jays' lineup.

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