Friday brought a mix of good news, bad news, and a little bit of curiosity for the Jays.
Shi Davidi reported that Kazuma Okamoto was named AL Rookie of the Month, a nod that feels a touch odd on the surface given his background, but it still counts. In 25 games, Okamoto put together a .286/.353/.560 line with 7 home runs, 20 RBI, 4 doubles and 8 walks.
He also handled himself well defensively, which wasn’t necessarily expected. The feeling here is that he’s not heading for Gold Glove territory, but he looks serviceable.
On the pitching side, the Jays are headed to San Francisco for a three-game set, with Thursday off after that.
There’s also a rehab note worth watching: Max Scherzer is scheduled to start Friday for the Vancouver Canadians, and the expectation is that he’ll need a few rehab outings.
June, meanwhile, was rough. The team went 11-15, and the pitching staff posted its worst monthly ERA at 4.56.
The starters had the toughest time of all, finishing with a 5.73 ERA and averaging just 4.6 innings per start. The bullpen was better, turning in a 3.33 ERA for its best month, though it also had to shoulder a heavy workload.
The bats, at least, showed some life. Toronto’s hitters posted their best OPS of the season for a month at .710, but that didn’t fully translate to the scoreboard. They averaged 3.9 runs per game in June, the same mark they had in April and below the 4.2 they managed in May.
In Other News...
Cam Schlittlers Cy Young Grip Suddenly Looks Far Less Secure
Dylan Cease has given the Blue Jays exactly the kind of frontline production they hoped for when they brought him in, and it has pushed him into the conversation for the American League Cy Young race. ESPNs Bradford Doolittle singled him out as a pitcher to watch, and with Cease leading the league in strikeouts, his profile is starting to look a lot more like that of a legitimate challenger than a mere long shot.
The catch is that Cy Young races are rarely decided by one loud stretch alone. Cease still has to keep piling up innings, which is where the gap gets tricky, while Cam Schlittler remains the favorite even after a rough patch has made that hold on the award feel less certain than it did a few weeks ago. For Toronto, the appeal is obvious: if Cease keeps missing bats at this rate and stays on the mound deep into the summer, the Jays may have a real award case on their hands. [Read more 🡒]
Bo Bichette's Return Reopened A Blue Jays Question Fans Can't Escape
Bo Bichettes first trip back to Toronto as a member of the Mets was always going to carry some weight, and the reception matched the occasion. Instead of boos, Blue Jays fans gave the former face of the franchise a standing ovation, a reminder of how much goodwill he built before leaving and how closely this market still watches every move tied to his future.
The on-field numbers only added to the conversation, with Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. each sitting on solid but not overwhelming seasons as the calendar turns deeper into 2026. Toronto has moved on with Andrs Gimnez at shortstop, but Bichettes return to town has a way of reopening the same question that never really goes away for Blue Jays fans: whether this story is truly finished, or whether another chapter could still be waiting. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Could Flood The AL All-Star Team Beyond Vladdy And Clement
Blue Jays fans have already made their presence felt in the 2026 All-Star voting, with Ernie Clement sitting atop the American League leaderboard and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. positioned well in the first-base race. It has turned into a strong showing for Toronto on the fan ballot, and it has only added to the sense that this could be a summer when the club sends more than just its biggest names to the Midsummer Classic.
Bleacher Reports Zachary D. Rymer went a step further and projected a Blue Jays group that could swell to five All-Stars, which would be the most of any AL team. Some of that is the usual mix of popularity and ballot momentum, but some of it is about performance, too, with Torontos case built on players who have made themselves hard to ignore as the season has unfolded. [Read more 🡒]