Blue Jays' Jose Berrios: Scheduled for Triple-A rehab start
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Berrios (elbow) is scheduled to make his next rehab start for Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Berrios has made two rehab starts with Single-A Dunedin most recently Wednesday against Fort Myers, when he allowed three hits and struck out five batters without issuing a walk over four scoreless innings. He'll now shift his rehab assignment over to Triple-A, and he'll likely need at least two more starts without suffering a setback before being cleared to make his major-league season debut with the Blue Jays.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Drops to closer committee
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GM Ross Atkins announced Friday that Hoffman could still see occasional save chances but will no longer be the primary closer as the Blue Jays shift to a committee approach, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Manager John Schneider was noncommittal to Hoffman as Toronto's closer earlier this week after nearly blowing his fourth save of the season, so it's not a major surprise the club is making a change. It doesn't appear to be a full demotion for the 33-year-old right-hander, who recorded 33 saves with a 4.37 ERA during the 2025 regular season, but it also wouldn't be surprising for him to get some work in lower-leverage spots. Hoffman has surrendered nine earned runs with a 24:6 K:BB across 10.2 innings this year. Louis Varland was the only other player mentioned as a potential closer, but the Blue Jays are also expected to utilize some other arms for the ninth inning.
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Blue Jays' Trey Yesavage: May need another rehab start
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Yesavage (shoulder) could make another rehab start for Triple-A Buffalo before coming off the injured list, Max Ralph of MLB.com reports.
The 22-year-old right-hander built up to 64 pitches in his most recent outing Tuesday but was far from sharp, giving up four runs (two earned) on two hits and four walks over 2.1 innings while striking out two. The Blue Jays would like Yesavage to reach about 75 pitches before adding him to the big-league rotation. If he remains at Buffalo for another turn, Patrick Corbin and Eric Lauer will each get another chance to state their case for remaining in the rotation once Yesavage is activated.
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Blue Jays' Patrick Corbin: Making case to remain in rotation
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Corbin may not be the pitcher bumped from the rotation when Trey Yesavage (shoulder) comes off the IL, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
The veteran southpaw has been surprisingly effective in three starts since being added to an injury-depleted Blue Jays rotation, delivering a 3.68 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 12:4 K:BB over 14.2 innings. During that same stretch, Eric Lauer has a 7.63 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 10:8 K:BB over 15.1 innings in his three outings. Lauer also has more experience pitching out of the bullpen, although manager John Schneider curiously described Corbin as "versatile" last week despite the fact that 236 of his last 237 big-league appearances dating back to 2018 have been starts. Yesavage built up to 64 pitches in his latest rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday and likely needs at least one more outing before he's ready to come off the IL, so Schneider may be able to hold off deciding which of the two lefties stays in the rotation until early May.
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Blue Jays' Eric Lauer: Goes five innings in no-decision
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Lauer did not factor into the decision Wednesday against the Angels, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out three.
While Lauer avoided a fourth straight loss Wednesday, the left-hander has yet to make it through six frames in any of his five outings this season. Overall, Lauer is 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 19:12 K:BB across 22.2 innings. He's currently slated to face the Red Sox at home his next time out.
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Blue Jays' Patrick Corbin: Yields just one run in no-decision
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Corbin did not factor into the decision Tuesday against the Angels, allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out three across five innings.
Corbin generated just three whiffs among his 65 pitches (40 strikes), with his lone blemish coming on a Vaughn Grissom sacrifice fly in the fifth. After giving up four runs in his 2026 debut against the Twins on April 10, Corbin has yielded just two runs over his last two outings and sits at a 3.68 ERA and 1.09 WHIP over 14.2 innings. The veteran southpaw has filled in admirably in the Blue Jays rotation in the absence of Trey Yesavage (shoulder), Jose Berrios (elbow), Cody Ponce (knee) and Shane Bieber (elbow), but Tuesday may have been Corbin's last turn in the rotation for now, assuming Yesavage is cleared to come off the 15-day injured list ahead of next week's home series against the Red Sox.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Nearly blows game for Toronto
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Hoffman hit two batters and allowed one run on two hits while striking out a batter during the Blue Jays' 4-2 win over the Angels on Tuesday.
Hoffman got the call to protect the Blue Jays' 4-1 lead in the ninth. He started the inning strongly by striking out Zach Neto, but the right-hander's night quickly turned for the worse. Hoffman yielded a single to Mike Trout before hitting the next two batters he faced. Blue Jays manager John Schneider saw enough after his closer gave up an RBI single to Yoan Moncada, turning to Louis Varland to close things out -- which he did on just one pitch that produced a double play. Hoffman wasn't charged with a blown save, but the fact he was pulled from a high-leverage situation is not a good sign for his job security as Toronto's closer. He sits at a 7.59 ERA, 2.06 WHIP and 24:6 K:BB across 10.2 innings.
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Blue Jays' Louis Varland: Brilliant in setup role again
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Varland struck out three over 1.1 perfect innings Monday to record his third hold of the season in a 5-2 win over the Angels.
The right-hander has been the Blue Jays' best reliever through the first month of the season, producing a 0.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and dominant 19:3 K:BB through 12.1 innings while allowing just one hit so far on his high-90s four-seamer. Jeff Hoffman righted the ship a bit in Monday's win, striking out the side himself in the ninth while picking up his third save, but the Toronto closer's job security remains low given his three blown saves, 6.97 ERA and 1.94 WHIP. If Hoffman does get removed from the ninth, Varland has positioned himself to be the next man up in save situations.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Fans three in third save
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Hoffman notched a save against the Angels on Monday, allowing one hit and striking out three batters over a scoreless inning of work.
Hoffman entered with a three-run lead in the ninth inning and gave up a single to the first batter he faced. However, the right-hander proceeded to strike out the following three hitters to close out the contest. This was a much-needed performance for Hoffman after he picked up a loss and a blown save while yielding six runs over 1.2 innings across his previous two appearances. Manager John Schneider has expressed confidence in Hoffman as the team's closer, and at least for Monday, that confidence appeared justified.
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Blue Jays' Ricky Tiedemann: Cleared for mound work
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Tiedemann (elbow) has been throwing bullpens at Toronto's Player Development Complex in Dunedin, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Tiedemann was shut down from throwing in February after experiencing left elbow soreness. However, he's since gained clearance to resume mound work in mid March and has lately progressed to side sessions. The Blue Jays haven't provided a clear timetable for his return, but he'll report to Triple-A Buffalo once healthy.
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Blue Jays' Shane Bieber: Tossing bullpen Tuesday
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Bieber (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The Blue Jays have yet to provide a concrete timeline for Bieber's return, but the fact that he's tossing another bullpen session Tuesday is a sign that he's continuing to make his way through his throwing progression. Tuesday's side session will be his fourth since getting the green light to resume mound work. Bieber will presumably advance to facing hitters in the near future.
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Blue Jays' Jose Berrios: Making next rehab start Wednesday
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Berrios (elbow) will make his next rehab start Wednesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Berrios is in line for his second rehab start after working 2.2 innings for Single-A Dunedin on Thursday. He fired 47 pitches during Thursday's appearance, so it's fair to expect him to stretch out a bit more during Wednesday's outing. It remains to be seen whether Berrios will need an additional rehab start after Wednesday before being activated from the 15-day injured list.
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Blue Jays' Max Scherzer: Bounces back with six strong frames
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Scherzer took a no-decision Saturday against the Diamondbacks, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out one.
After yielding eight runs his last time out versus the Twins, Scherzer got back on track Saturday with his second quality start of the year and his first since his 2026 debut. It was also the veteran right-hander's first start of the season that he didn't serve up a home run. While Scherzer still has an ugly 7.16 ERA through his first 16.1 frames, he does hold a more palatable 1.29 WHIP and is set for a fairly soft matchup against the Guardians for his next start.
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Blue Jays' Trey Yesavage: Slated for rehab start Tuesday
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Yesavage (shoulder) will make a rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters Friday that there was some uncertainty as to whether Yesavage would join the team next week in Los Angeles. It sounds like the 22-year-old right-hander will get at least one more start in the minors, and Patrick Corbin's strong start Thursday against the Brewers may have factored into that decision. Assuming Yesavage doesn't suffer any setbacks in his next rehab start, he could rejoin the Blue Jays for the opener of their home series against the Red Sox that begins Monday, April 27. In Yesavage's last rehab start with Buffalo on Wednesday, he allowed three runs on seven hits (including two homers) and one walk while striking out five across 4.1 innings.
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Blue Jays' Braydon Fisher: Will work as opener Friday
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Fisher will work as the opener Friday against the Diamondbacks, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The righty will work ahead of bulk reliever Eric Lauer. Fisher has appeared in eight games out of the bullpen for Toronto this season, posting a microscopic 0.93 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 12:1 K:BB across 9.2 innings. Fisher pitched Tuesday and Wednesday this week, and his season high for pitches in a game is 32, so he's unlikely to work more than an inning or two.
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Blue Jays' Trey Yesavage: No decision yet on activation
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Yesavage (shoulder) could make his 2026 debut in Anaheim next week, and the Blue Jays will make a decision some time this weekend on whether to activate the right-hander from the injured list or have him make one more rehab start, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports. "Still don't know where the next [start]'s going to be," manager John Schneider said Thursday. "Will probably figure that out in the next couple days."
Yesavage built up to 71 pitches in his most recent rehab start Wednesday at Triple-A Buffalo, putting him on track to handle 85-to-90 pitches his next time out. While the 22-year-old's workload is where it needs to be, Yesavage's average fastball velocity of 93.3 mph Wednesday was a tick below last year's 94.8 mph mark, and his command wasn't quite there either. Patrick Corbin's effective performance Thursday may encourage Toronto to give Yesavage one more rehab outing rather than rushing him back to the majors.
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Blue Jays' Patrick Corbin: Shines during no-decision
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Corbin did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Brewers, allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out six over 5.2 innings.
Corbin turned in a strong bounce-back outing after allowing four runs in four innings during his season debut last week. The lone run came in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly following back-to-back hits, but the left-hander settled in from there and held Milwaukee hitless the rest of the way. With Trey Yesavage nearing a return to the rotation, Corbin's performance came at an important time, strengthening his case to remain in Toronto's starting mix moving forward.
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Blue Jays' Austin Voth: Back with Blue Jays
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Voth agreed to a minor-league contract with Toronto on Monday.
Voth has had a busy first month or so of the 2026 campaign, as he was released by the White Sox in late March, and then signed to a minor-league deal by Toronto. He was promoted to the majors for one appearance April 5, but was designated for assignment one day later, and elected free agency Thursday after clearing waivers. Voth will now return to the Blue Jays on a minor-league deal and figures to serve as pitching depth at Triple-A Buffalo.
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Blue Jays' Louis Varland: Impressive start to season
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Varland struck out the side in a perfect seventh inning during Sunday's loss to the Twins.
It wasn't a particularly high-leverage situation as the Blue Jays were down 8-1 when he took the mound, but Varland still fired 11 of 16 pitches for strikes in another impressive outing. Through eight appearances and nine innings to begin the year, the right-hander has a 0.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 13:3 K:BB with two holds.
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Blue Jays' Yimi Garcia: Closing in on rehab stint
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Garcia (elbow) threw another side session Friday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports, and per MLB.com the veteran reliever is close to beginning a rehab assignment.
Garcia hasn't pitched in a big-league game since July 2 of last season, eventually undergoing surgery on his elbow in September to clean up scar tissue from a prior procedure. He's in the final stages of his recovery, and the Blue Jays remain optimistic the right-hander will be able to rejoin the bullpen by the end of April. Once he's activated and shakes off the rust, Garcia will provide another high-leverage bridge to closer Jeff Hoffman.
