The Blue Jays arrive in the Bronx riding a run that has them as the hottest club in the American League, and maybe all of baseball. Toronto has now won seven series in a row after taking down the Rays at the Trop, and they’ll try to grab their second win over the Yankees in the last week after winning two of three at Rogers Centre over the weekend.
Friday night’s opener brings a familiar look on the mound. New York is set to send Cam Schlittler, while Toronto is going with a bullpen game again, with Mason Fluharty handling the first inning. That’s been the reality for a Jays staff that has taken hit after hit from injuries, a run that has included Trey Yesavage’s recent surgery and Jameson Taillon’s own IL stint.
Even so, there’s finally some movement in the right direction. Spencer Arrighetti is coming off the IL and is expected to make his first appearance with his new team. He isn’t fully stretched out yet, but he should work in a bulk role Friday night, which would be a welcome lift for John Schneider and the pitching staff if it goes smoothly.
Toronto also shuffled the roster in other spots. Left-hander Brendan Cellucci has been optioned to Triple-A, while Josh Smith was placed on the 10-Day IL with left hamstring inflammation. To replace him, Davis Schneider is back with the big club after being recalled from Triple-A.
The Jays have been dealing with a wave of hamstring issues in Florida. Brett Bateman was the first to go down in game two while running out a ground ball, forcing him to miss Thursday’s finale.
Andres Gimenez and Smith also ran into the same problem. Smith is the only one who has landed on the IL so far, but Gimenez will miss the opener against the Yankees.
At the top of the order, Alejandro Kirk keeps doing Alejandro Kirk things. He remains in the leadoff spot, and for good reason, slashing .360/.436/.550 over his last 30 games while also launching two homers against the Rays.
The road ahead is still long, with just under six weeks left in the season, but the schedule does soften after this trip to New York. The Jays won’t face another team with a winning record after the Yankees, at least as things stand now. For Toronto, the path is clear: keep stacking wins, starting Friday against Schlittler.
In Other News...
Padres Have A New Late-Inning Weapon Drawing Serious All-MLB Buzz
The All-MLB conversation is already starting to take shape, and for clubs around the league, it is a useful snapshot of which pitchers are forcing their way into the seasons biggest honors discussion. The projections lean heavily on current performance, with names like Jacob Misiorowski, Cristopher Snchez and Dylan Cease headlining the starting group while high-impact relievers such as Mason Miller and Louis Varland have also pushed their way into the picture.
For a Blue Jays team that knows how quickly late-inning arms can change the feel of a series, the reliever debate is the most interesting part of the board. Miller and Varland are drawing serious buzz as the kind of weapons that can reshape October expectations, but these All-MLB predictions remain just that for now, a snapshot of where the season stands before anything is officially handed out. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Broadcast Crew Still Earned Respect During A Tough Transition
Awful Announcings latest local MLB broadcast rankings offered a small reminder that the Blue Jays television crew still carries real weight with viewers, even through change. In a vote based on more than 85,000 ballots, Torontos Dan Shulman, Joe Siddall and Hazel Mae finished eighth, sliding from fourth a year ago but still holding a spot among the sports more respected booths.
The drop was tied in part to Buck Martinezs retirement, a shift that naturally altered the familiar rhythm for Blue Jays fans. Even so, the result shows the audience has not drifted far from the crew, and it also places Toronto in a category that included the Padres Don Orsillo and Mark Grant at No. 1 for a second straight year, a useful benchmark for how strong the competition remains. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays May Have Found A Serious Bat Far Later Than Expected
Jake Bennett has made an early impression in Dunedin, and it is not hard to see why the Blue Jays were drawn to him in the draft. The club took him in the eighth round largely because of the bat, and through his first 12 games with Single-A Dunedin, he has given that evaluation some real traction with four home runs and a .940 OPS. The extra-base damage has been the headline, even if the approach still comes with a fair amount of swing-and-miss.
What makes Bennett especially interesting is how much room there still is for the Blue Jays to sort out the rest of the profile. His defensive home is not settled yet, with catcher, first base and designated hitter all in the mix, which leaves Toronto with a pretty straightforward question: how much of his value will come from the bat alone? For now, the organization can at least feel encouraged that a late-round pick is already forcing a closer look. [Read more 🡒]