With a little more than two weeks left in the 2026 season, the Blue Jays are still hanging around the postseason race. Toronto has gone 5-4 in September and sits just one game behind the Cleveland Guardians for the third and final AL Wild Card spot.
That means there’s no room for passengers. The Blue Jays need production everywhere, and right now a few roster spots look awfully shaky. Three players in particular could be on the outside looking in before September ends if they don’t turn things around fast.
Jesus Sánchez is the clearest case of a player slipping. His recent stretch has been rough in every sense.
He has drawn attention for the wrong reasons, including another missed routine fly ball against the Kansas City Royals this past week, and his work at the plate hasn’t helped either. Over his last 30 games, Sánchez has hit .190 with a .618 OPS, along with two runs scored, one home run and six RBIs.
With Anthony Santander starting a rehab assignment, Toronto’s patience with the 28-year-old may be running out.
Michael Lorenzen hasn’t offered much relief either. Toronto brought him in on August 27 for pitching depth, hoping a move out of a starting role with the Colorado Rockies would help him settle in.
Instead, the 34-year-old has been shaky in three of his four appearances with the Blue Jays. Lorenzen is 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP, and he has given up six earned runs, including three home runs, in 8.2 innings.
He has allowed at least one run in every outing. Toronto can live with bulk innings if needed, but not if the runs keep piling up.
Then there’s Spencer Arrighetti, one of the bigger names to arrive at the deadline, and the one whose struggles have been the most surprising. Acquired in the deal that sent Daulton Varsho to the Houston Astros, Arrighetti has not come close to delivering the kind of help Toronto needed.
The 26-year-old right-hander is 0-4 with an 8.04 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP in four games for the Blue Jays, allowing 15 runs in 15.2 innings. The source material notes that if he had managed even one or two wins in that stretch, Toronto would already be in a playoff spot.
There is also a health question hanging over Arrighetti. He was diagnosed with Morton’s neuroma, and it’s possible he still isn’t fully recovered.
He may have pushed through rehab early to help the Blue Jays amid rotation issues, but the current results suggest a reset might be best for both sides. With Trey Yesavage likely due back soon, Toronto may be better off going with Yesavage and bullpen help every fifth day alongside Dylan Cease, José Soriano and Max Scherzer down the stretch.
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The blast came during a game Toronto controlled from start to finish, with the Blue Jays rolling to an 8-1 win that kept them right in the mix for a postseason spot. For Guerrero, the bigger significance may have been less about the number on the scoreboard and more about the relief of getting a home crowd moment he and the team had been waiting for. [Read more 🡒]