The Blue Jays have room to make a move, and Luis Robert Jr. fits the kind of gamble that could matter down the stretch.
Robert was placed on waivers by the New York Mets on Saturday, and his waiver window runs through Monday. He’s an inconsistent, injury-hampered outfielder who is batting .228 this season, but Toronto could still find him useful if it wants another right-handed bat with real defensive value.
Waivers work simply enough: the other 29 teams can claim a player before he clears and comes off the 40-man roster. Claim order is based on reverse winning percentage when the claims are processed, and Toronto is tied for 13th with the St.
Louis Cardinals. That leaves the Blue Jays behind some clubs, but ahead of others that could use a righty outfielder, including the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The cost is the bigger question. Robert is still owed about $4.89 million on his 2026 deal, including a $2 million offseason buyout.
That’s not a small number for a player who has mostly been a semi-regular, even if Toronto has already shown it has some flexibility left. The Jays claimed Paul Sewald off waivers and absorbed the roughly $400,000 remaining on his contract, and they also signed Michael Lorenzen to a big-league deal.
Toronto entered Sunday 1.5 games back of the American League’s final playoff spot, and it still appears to have a little money to work with.
The appeal starts with the bat. Even after a 17-11 August, Toronto’s offense sat at a near-average wRC+ of 101 entering Sunday, and it remains the club’s biggest problem.
Addison Barger is done for the year, and other hitters have been struggling into September. Robert’s August production would have stood out in that group: his 140 wRC+ would rank second among active Blue Jays players.
The fit becomes even clearer against left-handed pitching. Toronto has the second-lowest team wRC+ and slugging percentage in baseball against southpaws, and even after some improvement since the trade deadline, the Jays are still bottom-10 in both categories since Aug.
- Robert, despite missing two months with a herniated disc in his back, hit four home runs against lefties; that would rank second on the Jays behind Kazuma Okamoto’s eight.
His .719 OPS against lefties would rank third among qualified Toronto hitters, behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk.
The schedule also points in that direction. Toronto is expected to see three left-handed starters in its next seven games: the Cleveland Guardians’ Joey Cantillo, the Kansas City Royals’ Daniel Lynch and the Athletics’ Jacob Lopez. The Blue Jays are not likely to chase a waiver claim just because of one week’s projected pitching matchups, but the run of lefties does underline the need for a right-handed hitter with some pop.
Robert has generally handled lefties well throughout his career, including during a 2023 season in which he produced 5.3 WAR and through the uneven stretches that have followed. He has also remained a useful defender, mostly in center field and a bit in left in 2026, and his sprint speed is still in the 90th percentile this year.
There are obvious reasons for caution. Robert has reached more than 110 games in only one of his seven MLB seasons, and his bat has never been fully steady.
That continued in 2026, when he posted a .656 OPS in the first half and a .737 mark in the second. There’s also a reason no team met the Mets’ asking price for him at the trade deadline, and why he was available for a relatively modest return last winter.
Still, Toronto does not need Robert to become a star again. If he did find that 2023 level, the Jays could give him a bigger role.
If not, they’d still be getting a player who can defend, run and hit lefties. That alone would make sense for a club trying to squeeze value out of the final weeks.
A successful claim would likely push Daz Cameron out of the picture, since he is out of minor-league options. Cameron has shown real extra-base power, but he has also struck out in seven of his 24 at-bats with Toronto. Right now, he’s filling a platoon outfield role much like the one Robert would occupy.
Toronto will gain two extra roster spots on Tuesday when September expansion kicks in, and manager John Schneider said after Sunday’s game that the team is still weighing its options.
“I wish I could give you a clear-cut answer, but there’s a lot of moving pieces,” Schneider said. “Guys that we’ve seen before, guys that we like. There’s just a lot of moving pieces.”
One of those pieces is expected to be infielder Josh Smith, who returned to Toronto on Sunday after a brief rehab assignment. The Jays are also almost certain to bring up a fresh bullpen arm. Robert, though, could be another name in the mix.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Could Find Two Lineup Fixes In Houstons Shakeup
The Astros decision to move on from general manager Dana Brown has added another layer to a season already full of uncertainty in Houston, and it also puts a few familiar names back into the offseason conversation for teams looking to reshape their offenses. For the Blue Jays, the interest starts with a simple question: if Houston is willing to listen on established hitters, could this be a chance to address multiple lineup needs at once?
Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pena and Isaac Paredes all come with different profiles, recent production and contract considerations, which is exactly why they stand out as possible trade targets for Toronto. The Jays have spent enough time searching for more impact in the middle of the order to know that opportunities like this do not come around often, but any real pursuit will depend on how Houston decides to handle its roster after a turbulent year in the front office. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Still Have One Big Concern With Jose Soriano
Jos Sorianos season has been a reminder that even a hard-throwing starter can run into trouble when one pitch stops playing the way it should. After opening the year well, the Blue Jays right-hander has seen his fastball become a much bigger target for opposing hitters, and the damage has shown up in the form of more balls leaving the yard and a strikeout rate that has drifted the wrong direction.
Still, Soriano has not abandoned the pitch mix that brought him success, leaning on the fastball and his secondary offerings while working through the rough patch. There have been signs of stabilization lately, including better home run suppression and the kind of durability Toronto can live with, but the lingering question is whether the fastball issue is a temporary dip or something that will keep defining the rest of his season. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Finally Gave Franchise History A Permanent Home
A new Hall of Excellence has finally given the Blue Jays long history a permanent place at their home ballpark, with the team creating a space to honor the people who shaped the franchise on and off the field. The display includes memorabilia and plaques recognizing players, broadcasters, managers and executives, turning a sweep of club history into something fans can now see in one spot.
Buck Martinez was among the latest figures celebrated, with the former catcher and longtime broadcaster taking part in a pregame ceremony that included a speech and a ceremonial first pitch. Martinez retired from the broadcast booth earlier this year, and his inclusion fits the larger purpose of the Hall, which is meant to preserve the kind of contributions that have defined the organization for decades. [Read more 🡒]