3 former Blue Jays who are having a great spring, 3 who are not

As Spring Training begins to wind down, the Toronto Blue Jays prepare for another gruelling schedule ahead of them as they embark on another potential journey to the World Series. Many Blue Jays players have had a strong training camp, while some others still have some kinks to work out prior to the start of the season.

It’s the same story for players around the league, including some former Blue Jays.

The 3 ex-Blue Jays who are enjoying spring Blue Jays and the 3 who are not

Gio Urshela is struggling this spring

In an attempt to land a major league gig for the 2026 MLB season after signing a minor-league contract with the Minnesota Twins this offseason, Gio Urshela has failed to show his worth this spring. In nine games of action, Urshela has batted just .208 with a dismal .490 OPS, with just two runs scored, zero home runs and one RBI along with five strikeouts. As a result, the 34-year-old veteran was ultimately released by the Twins from camp on Friday, leaving the infielder in jeopardy of finding a job for this season.

Jordan Romano is having a great spring 

For someone that has a disastrous 2025 campaign with the Philadelphia Phillies, former Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano was looking to get his career back on track after signing with the Los Angeles Angels this winter. That move appears to be working in his favour so far, as through four spring appearances, Romano has been almost perfect, yielding zero runs on only one hit with zero walks and three strikeouts over four innings pitched. The 32-year-old reliever hopes to officially put away his memories from last season where he posted some of his worst numbers of his career.

Tim Mayza is struggling this spring

Tim Mayza was looking to secure a potential role in the Phillies bullpen for 2026 after Philadelphia re-signed him to a minor-league deal this offseason. However, things haven’t gone exactly as planned for Mayza during the past few weeks as he has compiled a 0-1 record with an abysmal 7.11 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, giving up five earned runs including two home runs on nine hits in just 6.1 innings of work. With another fellow former Blue Jay in Genesis Cabrera as well as other Phillies relievers putting together a solid spring audition to date, Mayza appears to be in tough to land a spot on their Opening Day roster.

Chris Bassitt is having a great spring 

With the mounds of injuries falling upon the Blue Jays starting pitchers prior to the start of the season, things would have been just a bit more reassuring if Chris Bassitt happened to be still around. Unfortunately, he is now the property of the Baltimore Orioles and to add insult to injury, no pun intended, Bassitt has been impressing with his new club this spring. In four starts, the 37-year-old has amassed a tidy 2.51 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, giving up just four earned runs with nine strikeouts in 14.1 innings pitched. He certainly would have looked good in the Blue Jays rotation right about now.

Alek Manoah is struggling big time this spring

On the other hand, things haven’t been going as well for a pitcher who was looking for a bounce back season in 2026. Alek Manoah had gotten off to a good start to training camp before things eventually went downhill in his past three outings. In particular, his last appearance was a total disaster, as he got shelled for seven runs in just four innings of work. For the spring, Manoah sported an 0-2 record with a dismal 9.39 ERA, 2.41 WHIP, along with 14 walks and 13 strikeouts in 15.1 innings pitched. Things have gone from bad to worse as he is currently dealing with a fingernail issue as well. Hopefully, he will be able to straighten things out before it’s too late.

Bo Bichette is having a great spring

Finally, we have the former Blue Jays star shortstop Bo Bichette doing Bichette-like things again, but now with the New York Mets. The 28-year-old infielder has batted .294 with an .846 OPS, together with six runs scored, one home run, eight RBIs and a stolen base to boot in 14 spring games with the Mets. And of course, it wouldn’t be Bichette if it didn’t include his adventures defensively already in his new position at third base.

Nevertheless, what he effectively provides with the bat usually more than makes up for his deficiencies in the field. The Blue Jays better hope that they won’t feel the effects of not having Bichette in their lineup for this upcoming season and beyond. Otherwise, it may inadvertently set the team back instead.