4 Blue Jays Facing Worrisome Starts to Spring Training
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With an exhibition game against Team Canada on Tuesday and an off-day on Wednesday, the Toronto Blue Jays have hit something of an early reset point in their Grapefruit League schedule. With nine games under their belt, they are one-third of the way through the spring slate.
And, for anyone that happens to care about this sort of thing, the Blue Jays are struggling - badly. After winning their spring opener, they went winless in their next six games before salvaging half of a pair of split squad games on Saturday and now sport a 2-7-2 record. If it weren't for two wins over the Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto would still be looking for their first victory of the spring.
To be clear, no one is panicking here. These are far from the same Blue Jays we will see suit up for the March 27 home opener. Spring training is about getting reps in and ramping up for the regular season, with little to no meaning to be derived from game play.
That being said, spring training success can matter at least a little bit on an individual level. With roster spots up for grabs in Toronto and a desire to see key players look as though they are rounding into form, individual player struggles carry a bit more weight than team results. In that same vein, here are some Blue Jays whose slow starts are worth keeping an eye on.
Addison Barger
The inclusion of Addison Barger here might surprise those who happened to catch his massive grand slam in Monday's 8-7 loss to the Boston Red Sox. Apart from that one viral highlight, however, it's been a frustrating spring for the 26-year-old.
Even after the grand slam, Barger has now managed just two hits in 15 at-bats (.133) while striking out five times. The presumptive starting right fielder leads a Toronto outfield that has collectively struggled at the plate thus far, with Nathan Lukes (.077), Davis Schneider (.083), Myles Straw (.167) and newcomer Jesus Sanchez (.188) all off to slow starts. Barger gets singled out here based on the expectation that he will be a key middle-of-the-lineup bat for the club this season.
Yariel Rodriguez
While it's difficult to draw too many real, tangible conclusions from Spring Training, it does seem clear than Yariel Rodriguez has a long path ahead of him to return to pitching at the major league level.
The Blue Jays raised some eyebrows in early December when they announced that they had outright Rodriguez off the 40-man roster after a standout season in which he sported a 3.08 ERA while making 66 relief appearances for the team. The move looks a little more understandable now that he has allowed seven earned runs, seven hits and three walks in just 1.2 innings of work across two appearances.
Perhaps Rodriguez will begin to find his game as he joins Team Cuba for the World Baseball Classic. But considering he had to beat out other players to reclaim a spot in both the bullpen and on the 40-man roster, it's hard to see another opportunity coming in Toronto anytime soon.
Ben Cowles
Yes, I know that Ben Cowles is no longer a part of the Blue Jays' organization, having been placed on waivers and subsequently reclaimed by the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. Perhaps everything will work out for the 26-year-old and he'll find a role on the north side of Chicago, but this still feels like a missed opportunity.
Given Toronto's need for infield depth, Cowles had a real shot at carving out a meaningful role with Toronto. In going 0-for-9 with five strikeouts over five games, however, the organization quickly decided to pivot in another direction. Leo Jimenez is expected to benefit from Cowles' departure, although Josh Kasevich looks like he could be ready for the majors sooner rather than later.
Eric Lauer
Poor Eric Lauer can't seem to catch a break. Since the end of his stellar 2025 regular season (9-2, 3.18 ERA), he was relegated to bullpen duty in the playoffs, saw the Blue Jays bump him further down the depth chart with the additions of Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce and the re-signing of Max Scherzer and lost his arbitration case.
Now, Lauer's string of tough luck seems to have extended to his on-field performance. Still trying to at least maintain his role as a depth starter and long relief option out of the bullpen, he has allowed three earned runs and four hits in 2.2 innings across two starts. The 30-year-old is still expected to factor into the Opening Day plans, but this probably isn't the position he hoped to be in.
There has been plenty of good for Toronto to celebrate this spring, from Kasevich to Kazuma Okamoto to Eloy Jimenez to Jose Berrios. But things haven't gone quite so smoothly for everyone in Dunedin. Barger should ultimately be fine (as Monday's slam would indicate), but Cowles is already gone, Rodriguez may soon follow and Lauer may well find himself lost among a deep Blue Jays' pitching staff.
Ben Fisher is a long-time sportswriter and baseball lover, dating back to 2008, when he was a member of the media relations team for the Toronto Blue Jays. He has covered a wide range of sports for a seemingly endless array of publications, including The Canadian Press, Fansided and The Hockey Writers. When he isn't writing about sports, he can be found coaching his equally baseball-obsessed sons' Little League teams.