How the 2026 Blue Jays Continue to Overcome Pitching Injuries
On May 24th, the Blue Jays suffered two of their most detrimental injuries yet. Dylan Cease, whom Toronto signed to a seven-year, $210 million contract this offseason, left the game after four and one-third innings because of a mild left hamstring strain. In addition, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. instantly removed himself from the game when his throwing arm went numb after getting hit by a pitch. The Golden Glove first baseman was day-to-day with a right elbow contusion but returned just two days later to help secure the series win against the Marlins. At this point, almost every Jays player has been sick or injured at some point in 2026, but 10 out of 15 players on the IL right now are pitchers, making this mainly a problem on the mound.
Toronto’s pitching woes started before their season, with Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, and José Berríos on the IL for Opening Day. The rookie returned, but Bieber is currently on a rehab assignment, and Berríos needed Tommy John surgery, which diminished any hope for him coming back this season. In addition, Bowden Francis and Yimi García are two pitchers who underwent surgery this offseason. García could potentially return in June, but Francis will be out the entire season. Despite all of this, Yesavage’s comeback was supposed to turn things around for the Blue Jays. However, while his pitching has been phenomenal with a 2.25 ERA and 35 strikeouts over 32 innings, injuries persist for the rest of the pitching staff.
The earliest pitching injury that happened during the season was Cody Ponce’s devastating right knee ACL sprain. Two and one-third innings into his first start, the 2025 KBO MVP injured himself making a routine play to first and had to be carted off the field. His surgery means he’s expected to miss the rest of the 2026 season. Another starter on the IL is Max Scherzer. The eight-time Cy Young Award winner was on the list for most of Spring Training, then returned for Opening Day, but was back on it by late April with right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation. Fortunately, he pitched to his team in practice on May 27th, which means he could begin a rehab assignment shortly.
It would make sense that Toronto would want to keep every pitcher possible on the roster, but that didn't stop Eric Lauer’s DFA two weeks ago. The lefty was unhappy that manager John Schneider consistently put openers ahead of him, complaining it messed up his routine. He also had the flu, which affected his skills that, unfortunately, never improved. All of this led to him being traded to the Dodgers. Within days of that transaction, relievers Joe Mantiply and Tommy Nance were added to the IL with left knee inflammation and right forearm discomfort, respectively. Less than a week later, Cease joined them.
So how has Toronto filled in the many gaps injuries created? One of the first major moves was signing Patrick Corbin to a one-year, one-million-dollar contract less than a week into the season. Corbin has been a phenomenal asset, recording a 3.86 ERA in nine starts and, most importantly, staying healthy. During their game on Wednesday, LHP Juanmi Vasquez was traded to acquire RHP Connor Seabold from the Detroit Tigers. Seabold was a reliever for the Tigers and posted a 3.45 ERA over eleven games so far this year. Toronto’s attempt to revive its pitching staff is not yet over.
Half of the Blue Jays' bullpen started 2026 on the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, and a couple of them even made their MLB debuts this year. On Tuesday, Tanner Andrews made his debut after eight years in the minors, but was switched out for Austin Voth the next day. About a week before, Chase Lee joined the bullpen for the second time in 2026 after the two relievers were lost. Just before that, Canadian Adam Macko made his MLB debut on May 18th. On May 11th, Yariel Rodriguez was brought up from the Minors. The first addition right after signing Corbin was Mantiply from the Minors, and now he’s the one being replaced. At this point, the Blue Jays almost have a completely different bullpen from Opening Day.
The last and possibly most influential pitching change Toronto made this season was to assign Louis Varland as the new closer. While all of these injuries and roster changes were happening, Schneider was adamant about keeping Jeff Hoffman as the closer despite his struggles. However, his loyalty was to a team that was already down. At one point, the 33-year-old had more blown saves than actual saves. Currently, he has been successful in five of the eight save opportunities he's had in 2026. However, Varland succeeded in all seven save opportunities he's been given. Over 27.2 innings, the 28-year-old has a 0.31 ERA, which is the current lowest ERA in the league. While the closer situation has nothing to do with injuries that we know of, the Blue Jays needed to put the best player in such a crucial position. Things out of their control may be taking a toll on the Blue Jays, but this decision is the cherry on top of an unconventional season for this pitching staff.
