Blue Jays Notes: Hitting Order Needs Adjusting, Louis Varland Team MVP

The Jays are one game under .500 and are inching closer to where they want to be, but the offense has yet to catch fire.

Apr 7, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Louis Varland (77) throws to first base to force out Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (not shown) in the eighth inning at Rogers Centre. | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

It is safe to say that things are starting to turn around for the Toronto Blue Jays, who now sit a measly game under .500 after the ballclub has fought for their lives to keep this season afloat with so many players falling victim to the injured list.

However, it feels like the Jays are playing on borrowed time as the bullpen seemingly cannot keep up the pace that it is going, which comes down to the offense.

High leverage arms, like Louis Varland, Tyler Rogers, and Jeff Hoffman, are being used at a rapid pace because the bats are more often than not unable to break a game open. So the 'pen, specifically Varland, has come up clutch on far more occasions than what the position players are doing.

🔥 30 Innings Pitched
🔥 41 Strikeouts
🔥 0.30 ERA
🔥 8 Saves

Louis Varland 😤 pic.twitter.com/uGDtl8t8Th

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 29, 2026

Someone has to scroll all the way back to April 25 to find the last, and only, earned run Varland has. That is truly absurd, so if there is one player that is a must have for the Jays this season, it is him.

One piece of the roster carrying the other happens from time to time, but most of the time is not something that is sustainable, especially with the amount of bullpen games that have come to be with so many injuries to the starting rotation.

Now, many have finally started to find life in their swings, so it isn't necessarily who needs to do what, but who needs to be hitting where.

A Change in the Order Would Do This Team Some Good

Blue Jays catcher Brandon Valenzuela hits against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

George Springer and Nathan Lukes have both returned from the IL and are looking like the top of the order that Toronto has been begging for since the year kicked off. Springer's slugging percentage is creeping up on .485 in his last seven games, while Lukes is hitting .429 in the same time frame.

However, it seems like it is time for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to drop down. He might be seeing pitches better, which has his on-base percentage rapidly growing, but he has five RBI in his last 15 games while slugging under .300.

Then, there is Kazuma Okamoto who is in desperate need of some pressure taken off of him. For example, in Thursday's 2-1 victory with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth, he struck out. Again.

Kaz needs confidence so badly, and he isn't finding it in the top half of the order, but players who are hitting lower, who are taking quality at-bats and deserve more trips to the plate, like Ernie Clement and Brandon Valenzuela.

Ernie Clement’s 18th double of the season ties him for the league lead ✌️ pic.twitter.com/0vuM95y8Bl

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 28, 2026

In the last month, Valenzuela is one of two starters who are hitting over .300, but he is routinely hitting No. 8 or No. 9. Now, should he jump to No. 3? No. He is still a rookie and is gaining confidence with each pitcher he faces.

But he, alongside Clement, Jesus Sanchez, Yohendrick Pinango, and Daulton Varsho, are all outperforming Okamoto and Guerrero Jr. That isn't likely to be the case at any given time, especially regarding Vlad, but a change needs to come.

Hitting at the top isn't a privilege or a right. It doesn't matter how much someone is getting paid, nor how they "should" be doing. All that matters is how the hitter is actually performing. Reward others who are doing their part and change something up.