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Inside The Blue Jays

Blue Jays Manager John Schneider Makes Surprising Lineup Change After Much-Needed Win

Some good things finally came for Toronto's bats, and that is the spark of life that they need, but it is not going to look the same Wednesday afternoon.
Maddy Dickens|
Blue Jays center fielder Jonatan Clase (8) hits a solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the eighth inning at Rogers Centre
Blue Jays center fielder Jonatan Clase (8) hits a solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the eighth inning at Rogers Centre | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Toronto Blue Jays

It has been a peculiar season for the Toronto Blue Jays as they sit well under .500 and have not found any signs of life from the offense, which is far from what the '25 Blue Jays displayed. But John Schneider really mixed things up Tuesday afternoon, and it worked.

A trio of youngsters trotted out there, and they came up big as Sean Keys, Brandon Valenzuela, and Jonatan Clase kick-started the order with consecutive hits, and Clase was the cherry on top with a moon shot to give the Jays a quick 3-0 lead against the San Francisco Giants.

The three ended the game going 6-for-12 as they all logged a multi-hit game to complement six runs scored and six RBI. So, with an offense that just went some 30-odd innings without scoring now finding some momentum, wouldn't you keep the lineup the same?

Wrong, apparently, because John Schneider announced that their lineup on Wednesday won't feature either Keys or Valenzuela.

Wednesday Starters With a Chance to Steal Series

George Springer pats Vladimir Guerrero Jr on the bac
Blue Jays designated hitter George Springer (4) celebrates his a home run with first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) against the Chicago Cubs | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It is safe to say that everyone is ready to welcome back George Springer from the paternity list, but why change up anything from Tuesday's 9-3 victory? Well, Springer has done well against Logan Webb, so it isn't a bad move.

  1. 2B Ernie Clement
  2. RF Nathan Lukes
  3. 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
  4. DH George Springer
  5. CF Daulton Varsho
  6. 3B Kazuma Okamoto
  7. C Alejandro Kirk
  8. LF Jonatan Clase
  9. SS Andres Gimenez

Instead, to keep both Valenzuela and Keys in the lineup, it should have been the struggling Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who took a seat with a series victory within reach and when every single game means so much.

If Vladdy were to take the bench, Keys could start at first base, and then the best option is to keep Valenzuela behind the dish rather than Kirk. That might sound absurd, but Kirk had a couple of good games when he returned, then totally died off.

Kirk hit .200 in June and is well below that this month, and he will turn it around eventually, but every inning matters right now, and it should be Valenzuela taking the most reps right now.

Anytime a series is on the line and the stakes are high, it is nice to have the team's best arm coming onto the hill, and that is definitely Dylan Cease, but the bats have been the biggest problem this season, and changing up what worked incredibly well in a rut doesn't make sense.

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Maddy Dickens
MADDY DICKENS

Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.

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