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Inside The Blue Jays

Blue Jays Shake Up Roster Before Monday’s Series Opener Against Phillies

The series opener against the Phillies is here, and the Jays are shuffling things up a bit.
Maddy Dickens|
Apr 19, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
Apr 19, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Toronto Blue Jays

This weekend was a roller coaster for the Toronto Blue Jays, as it started with the lowest of lows on Friday after they took a 10-run beatdown from the Baltimore Orioles. But they bounced back in a big way, winning two straight to take the series.

But the O's series didn't have their field general, Daulton Varsho, as he left the game in the fourth inning on Friday, and from that point on things started to spiral. Since then, Varsho hasn't swung a bat for the team, but he has been used as a defensive subsitution late in games.

That could be the case again on Monday as he has been left off the starting lineup once again. Varsho is dealing with an issue in his wrist, which he is used to, but is making it to where he can't effectively make an offensive impact.

So, to take on the Philadelphia Phillies, the Blue Jays are without his Gold Glove on defense and without his hits on offense. Not ideal when going up against Cristopher Sanchez, but at least one stream of good news came Monday afternoon- Tommy Nance is back.

Nance became a member of Toronto's lengthy injured list back on May 17, but after successful rehab, he is rejoining the bullpen, a piece of the roster that is begging for reinforcements. To make room for Nance, Yariel Rodriguez was designated for assignment.

Rodriguez had been hit or miss this season for the Jays, with a 7.71 ERA and 2.04 WHIP. This was an easy decision for the team to make.

Starting Line Up Monday

George Springer hits a baseball in a blue Blue Jays jerse
Blue Jays designated hitter George Springer (4) hits a double during the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

With Varsho out, Myles Straw will take over at center field, but with the Phillies trotting out a lefty to the mound, this is a perfect scenario for him. The concern is elsewhere.

  1. DH George Springer
  2. RF Nathan Lukes
  3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
  4. 3B Kazuma Okamoto
  5. 2B Ernie Clement
  6. SS Andrés Giménez
  7. CF Myles Straw
  8. C Tyler Heineman
  9. LF Yohendrick Pinango

At this point, George Springer shouldn't be the lead-off man anymore as his OPS is rapidly dwindling. Momentum shouldn't die when the top of the order comes, but that has been the case the last few weeks.

So, if there is a time to break out of a slump of a season, it is now for both Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as the two have not been any sort of explosion this lineup needs.

Instead, it has been several rookies, Yohendrick Pinango, Brandon Valenzuela, Kazuma Okamoto, as well as Ernie Clement and Jesus Sanchez, who have been carrying this team time and time again.

The Blue Jays need their stars to shine to take Game 1 against Philadelphia. If not, it could be another brutal loss logged during this homestand.

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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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