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Inside The Blue Jays

Dylan Cease Officially Returns as Blue Jays Adjust Starting Lineup vs. Phillies

The Blue Jays finally have their ace back, but someone had to go in order to bring him back to the roster.
Maddy Dickens|
May 8, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning at Rogers Centre.
May 8, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning at Rogers Centre. | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

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Toronto Blue Jays

If there was one piece to the Toronto Blue Jays' roster that truly couldn't afford taking any more hits, it was the starting rotation. However, injuries have not been kind and the latest victim was Dylan Cease; keyword was.

Cease went down in his last start against the Pittsburgh Pirates with a hamstring strain. Even though he was adamant that he wouldn't miss his next scheduled game, he had to spend a short stint on the dreaded injured list.

But the team's Cy Young contender has returned and is set to take the mound Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies. With Cease rejoining the roster, someone had to go to make room.

So, in a corresponding move, the team optioned lefty reliever Adam Macko back to Triple-A Buffalo, which is controversial at best, considering how well the young rookie has done since he received the call-up, but that is how it goes sometimes.

Toronto just dropped the first game of the series on Monday, 5-2, after Patrick Corbin gave up five quick runs, making his start over in the third inning. However, they had ample opportunities to win that one, but went 0-10 with runners in scoring position.

Hopefully, with Cease back on the mound, this team can bounce back and split this series. With reinforcements returning to the pitching staff, it is now up to the offense to show some life, specifically George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who have been riding the struggle bus, to say the least.

Blue Jays Full Starting Lineup Tuesday

Ernie Clement hits a baseball in a blue BLue Jays jersey
Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement (22) hits a solo home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fifth inning at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

If there is one player that is helping carry this offense right now, day in and day out, it is second baseman Ernie Clement. Clement is hitting .300 with runners ready to score and is the clear frontrunner for the AL All-Star race.

  1. DH Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
  2. CF Nathan Lukes
  3. 2B Ernie Clement
  4. LF Jesus Sanchez
  5. RF Yohendrick Pinango
  6. C Brandon Valenzuela
  7. 3B Kazuma Okamoto
  8. SS Andrés Giménez
  9. 1B Charles McAdoo

Springer will be taking a much-needed day off, and a shake-up in the order puts Vlad as the lead-off man, so that could mix things up for him, and might be exactly what his bat is needing to spark some power into his slump.

Toronto is still hovering below the .500 line as everyone tries to get healthy. Names are starting to come off the dreaded injured list, but that excuse isn't why they are losing games. This team needs to find some life behind Cease and steal Tuesday's game from the red-hot Phillies.

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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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