3 Blue Jays players it’s already fair to worry about

The Toronto Blue Jays have looked good so far this season. They've been above .500 for almost all of the season, and are right in the thick of things in the American League East thanks to strong contributions from players up and down the 26-man roster.

At the same time, there have still been players who haven't had the starts we've expected. Here, we will take a look at three players who have had a rough start worth panicking about.

3 Blue Jays players it’s already fair to worry about

Yariel Rodríguez 

After having a respectable first MLB season with the Jays in 2024 as a starter, Rodríguez broke camp as a reliever. That change was due largely to the offseason signing of Max Scherzer and Bowden Francis' emergence.

However, Rodríguez has struggled quite a bit in his new role. The 28-year-old right-hander has posted a 6.14 ERA in just 7 1/3 innings, and he's allowed runs in three of his seven outings this year.

While his numbers are a bit inflated thanks to a rough first outing of the season where he allowed three runs in one inning, he'll need to be a bit more consistent before he can be trusted in high-leverage situations.

Max Scherzer 

The Blue Jays signed Scherzer to have him be the final piece in their starting rotation, but that hasn't come to fruition yet.

Scherzer put together a vintage performance in the spring when he posted a sparkling 1.38 ERA with 18 strikeouts in just 13 innings before his thumb started barking at him.

He still managed to make the team out of camp but only lasted three innings in his season debut before his thumb flared up again. He hasn't appeared in a game since and is scheduled to meet with a thumb specialist for a second time.

It's still early, but Scherzer missing this much time so early isn't a great feeling. Easton Lucas took Scherzer's spot in the rotation and has put together two solid starts and one dud. The Jays took a gamble on Scherzer in the offseason, and they don't have much to show for it so far this season.

Anthony Santander

It was only natural for Santander to enter the season with big expectations after the Blue Jays signed him to a five-year, $95.5 million contract.

But 18 games into the season, the 30-year-old outfielder hasn't lived up to those expectations, as he hitting just .216 with two home runs and six RBI

If that output was projected out over a 162-game schedule, Santander would finish the year with just 18 home runs and 54 RBI — far less than the 44 home runs and 102 RBI he had last year with the Orioles.

While the Jays were likely prepared for Santander's numbers to take a bit of a dip this year, but I don't think they were expected that drop off to be this serve.

There's still a silver lining, however. He's a notoriously slow starter and both of his home runs have come in the Blue Jays' last four games, so it seems like he's beginning to heat up.

The Blue Jays have been able to win without hitting a ton of home runs, but they'll need to up their power production at some point if they want to stay afloat in the ultra-competitive American League Easy.