How Blue Jays Should Solve Outfield Dilemma When Nathan Lukes Returns
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The time for the Toronto Blue Jays to figure out what to do with the multitude of outfielders at their disposal is about here. This was always going to happen as the Jays are locked and loaded, on paper, regarding the outfield but injuries have delayed any monumental changes.
Since both Addison Barger and Nathen Lukes have both had lengthy stints on the injured list, the Blue Jays have seemingly been just trying to field a team in the field, let alone grappling with excess. But Lukes is very close to his inevitable return after a handful of rehab assignments.
So, what is Toronto looking at when Lukes rejoins the ballclub?
Well, there needs to be decisions made regarding Yohendrick Pinango, Jesus Sanchez, Lenyn Sosa, and Davis Schneider. One could throw Myles Straw in there, but with his speed, defense, and baseball IQ coming off the bench, he isn't going anywhere.
Now, when Barger came off of IL for a measly two days before being put right back on, it was Yohendrick Pinango who was sent back down to the minors; that can't happen again. The offense is begging for a spark of life, and he is that.
The best course of action is to keep both Sanchez and Pinango with the team, designate Sosa for assignment, and send Schneider back to the minors.
Why This Makes Sense
Well, first things first, it is really easy to argue that Schneider should be headed back to Triple-A soon, regardless of anything or anybody else. Schneider is hitting a .129 on the year with a .214 slugging percentage, which is trending downwards.
Sosa isn't much better off, as he is hitting under 200 with an on-base percentage even lower. It doesn't matter which way they hit; that isn't going to work for the goals that the Blue Jays have when October rolls around.
115 MPH off the bat from Yohendrick 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/kWuWjI9jEG
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 23, 2026
Sanchez makes his case for himself as he has really started to shine as of late. In his last 15 games, he is hitting over .400 to complement a .639 slugging percentage as he has the same number of RBI (eight) as he does strikeouts.
Pinango on the other hand, has a smaller sample size as his debut only came a mere month ago, but he has been exceptional since he stepped into the majors. He is hitting over .300 with runners in scoring position and is hitting .313 on the year.
When Barger is ready to return, this same problem will be right back, but with his ability to play third, and Okamoto's clear problems at the plate, he might be in need of a trip to Triple-A. But that is a problem for another time, as Barger has not yet returned to baseball activities.
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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.