The Blue Jays are down to the kind of late-season roster decisions that can turn into one last audition. Toronto is still battling for the final Wild Card spot, and with injuries piling up and performances falling short, the club has already had to lean on 13 prospects for MLB debuts this season. That’s the second most by in 2026, with only the Chicago White Sox ahead of them.
September roster expansion from 26 to 28 players should create a little breathing room, but the bigger issue is who has to come off the 40-man roster if Toronto wants to keep adding arms and depth. The options are familiar: designate a player for assignment, release him, or move an injured player to the 60-day IL.
With the Blue Jays expected to keep cycling through names like Sean Keys, Ricky Tiedemann, Yohendrick Piñango, Davis Schneider, and Chase Lee, there’s also a separate question hanging over the older minor leaguers in the system. Time is running short.
Tanner Andrews is the clearest example. He spent eight seasons in the minors, not counting the canceled 2020 season, before finally reaching the majors on May 25.
His first stint was brief but useful: back-to-back appearances, three innings, one hit allowed, one strikeout, and two walks. Toronto still DFA'd him on June 4, and after he cleared waivers he went back to Triple-A Buffalo.
Since then, the 30-year-old has done his part. Andrews has a 2.05 ERA over 44 innings for the Bisons, with 48 strikeouts, 29 walks, five wins, and a perfect 12-for-12 record in save chances.
He has also limited opponents to a .195 batting average. The problem, as it has been throughout his career, is the control.
His 15.3 percent walk rate in Triple-A is the kind of number that keeps a reliever from sticking. Buffalo placed him on the 7-day IL on August 23, and the injury wasn’t specified, so his availability the rest of the way depends on how he recovers.
Brendan Cellucci is another name worth watching, even if he has yet to make his big-league debut. He is already on the 40-man roster, and in Triple-A he has put up a 3.47 ERA across 46.2 innings while striking out 49.
The left-hander has also battled his own command issues, carrying a 10.9 percent walk rate. One thing he does offer is length: he has thrown more than an inning in 15 of his 42 games with Buffalo.
That gives Toronto a possible opener if Jameson Taillon has a setback, or a reliever who can absorb middle innings. Cellucci is 28, so he is not exactly old in the grand scheme, but he is already beyond the average MLB debut age of 25.2 this season. That puts him squarely on the wrong side of the window the Blue Jays are working with.
Rudy Martin Jr. brings a different kind of case. Toronto clearly values contact hitters who can run, and Martin Jr. fits that mold.
He moved from the Kansas City Royals system to the Orioles when he was DFA'd and claimed on July 20, then landed with the Blue Jays four days later after being DFA'd again. At Triple-A, he has hit .272/.393/.397 with 62 runs, 35 RBI, and nine home runs in 358 plate appearances.
The real draw is the speed. Martin Jr. has stolen 45 bases, and that matters for a Blue Jays team that ranks 25th in stolen bases.
Only Andrés Giménez and George Springer have reached double figures on the roster. Toronto’s outfield is crowded, but Martin Jr. also gives the club another left-handed bat.
Brandon Valenzuela, a switch-hitter, is the only lefty option off the bench right now, and that spot is being taken up by the backup catcher.
Of the three, Cellucci looks like the likeliest path to a call. Andrews and Martin Jr. are probably longer shots to get their first taste of the majors this season. Still, all three are running out of runway, and even a single game would give Toronto another layer of depth.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Roster Shift Puts September Upgrades In Focus
The Blue Jays made a quiet roster move before September, optioning pitcher CJ Van Eyk to Triple-A Buffalo without announcing a corresponding move. Van Eyks minor league season had been solid, but his brief major league looks never really translated into much impact, and the decision opens the door for Toronto to start reshaping its roster as the calendar turns.
September is when the depth chart gets interesting, and the Blue Jays are expected to add three players to their 28-man group. Ricky Tiedemann and prospect Sean Keys are among the names in the conversation, giving the club a chance to reward development while also adding some late-season energy to a roster still sorting out its priorities. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Suddenly Have A Bigger Spencer Arrighetti Problem
Spencer Arrighetti looked like he might be settling in after a strong opening run with the Astros, but the right-handers season has taken a sharp turn since late May. The home runs have piled up, the fastball has lost some of its edge, and the result has been a pitcher who is no longer giving Houston the kind of stability it expected when he first flashed promise earlier in the year.
For the Blue Jays, the concern is less about one bad outing than a growing pattern that has made Arrighetti a tougher assignment than he seemed a few weeks ago. Most of the damage has come against his fastball, which puts the focus on how effectively he can make the pitch work again, and whether Houston can help him get back to the version of himself that looked so much more dependable before the slide. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Make A Telling Pitching Change Before Guardians Series
Toronto is leaning on a familiar modern pitching wrinkle as it opens its series against Cleveland, handing the first-inning assignment to Spencer Miles and planning for Spencer Arrighetti to cover the bulk of the game behind him. Miles has been one of the more dependable arms in the bullpen this season, giving the Blue Jays steady innings in 42 appearances with a 5-2 record and a 2.92 ERA, the kind of profile that makes him a natural fit for a short opening role.
The move is also a clear attempt to simplify things for Arrighetti after a difficult start to his Toronto tenure. Acquired in a trade, he has yet to settle in, and the club is hoping the opener setup can ease some of the pressure and help him find a better rhythm while giving the Blue Jays a cleaner path through a lineup that will be tested early. [Read more 🡒]