5 Blue Jays players who’ve already proven they don’t belong on the roster after May 1

The Toronto Blue Jays have been off to a solid start this season. Despite some ups and downs, we've witnessed how good this team can be on offense and defense when firing on all cylinders.

For the most part, the Blue Jays have received significant contributions from most of their roster. However, there have been a select few that have had some obvious struggles. As a result, let’s take a look at five Blue Jays' who have likely already proven that they don’t belong on the roster beyond May 1st.

Note: all stats are through Saturday's games.

5 Blue Jays players who’ve already proven they don’t belong on the roster after May 1

Ernie Clement

Of all of the players on the Jays roster, Clement's struggles have been the most surprising.

After all, the 29-year-old third baseman had a breakout season last year that saw him compile a solid .263 average while posting career-bests in games played (139), runs scored (48), doubles (21), triples (3), home runs (12), RBI (51) and stolen bases (12).

Not only that, Clement had a tremendous spring training where he hit a stellar .395 with two home runs and nine RBI n 17 games, which made it seem like his breakout season was sustainable.

However, the 2025 season has been a complete disaster for Clement.

In 14 games, he has put up a .097 average with seven strikeouts in 31 at-bats. In fact, Clement has registered just one hit in his last nine games.

Perhaps not being able to play everyday like last year is having an effect on his performance. If so, his situation is starting to resemble that of former Blue Jays infielder Santiago Espinal. After a standout 2022 season with the Jays, he struggled mightily in 2023 when he was given just limited playing time due to the carousel of infielders. Eventually, Espinal was traded to recoup assets for the Jays.

If Clement's situation is history repeat itself, his struggles could end ending his tenure with the club since he doesn't have any minor league options left.

Nathan Lukes

Since joining the Blue Jays' organization in November 2021, Lukes had always impressed during training camp before getting limited opportunites during the season.

That changed last year when he got some playing time after the Blue Jays' exodus at the trade deadline, Lukes finally got the call to the big club and impressed by hitting .303 with four doubles, two triples, one home run, 10 RBI, 10 walks and nine strikeouts in 22 games. 

With that audition, Lukes gave himself an opportunity to crack the Jays’ 2025 roster but hasn’t been able to take advantage of the opportunity. Despite primarily playing in a bench role, Lukes has hit just .190 in 10 games.

While that limited production might be fine for a bench player, his spot on the roster could be in jeopardy due to Daulton Varsho coming off the IL soon. Lukes has one minor league option remaining, so his future could be in Triple-A.

Jacob Barnes

As a proven 10-year veteran in the major leagues, the Jays inking Barnes to a minor league deal seemed like a good low-risk, high-reward move. And with that, it was a surprise that Barnes survived the final cuts and made the Opening Day roster despite posting a 6.75 ERA in spring.

Well, if the Jays didn’t believe in his numbers then, they should believe in those numbers just about now.

Barnes’ spring stats have ended up being a foreshadowing of his regular season performance, as he's posted a dismal 7.20 ERA in just five innings. With that in mind the Blue Jays could consider filling his spot in the bullpen with a better arm.

Will Wagner 

When Wagner made his debut with the Jays last season after being acquired at the trade deadline, he made quite the first impression. In 24 games, Wagner amassed a .305 batting average, .788 OPS with two home runs and 11 RBI. He also set a team rookie record of registering five hits in a game against the Minnesota Twins last August.

Because of that, Wagner entered 2025 as a potential regular starter with the Jays. And while he's gotten 11 starts this year, Wagner's struggled this season.

He's only recorded one hit in his last 20 at-bats to go along with six strikeouts. He's also committed two errors in the field and has been worth -1 DRS.

It may still be early, but sending Wagner to Triple-A could be the best thing for both parties if they want to maximize his growth and development.

Davis Schneider 

It's fair to say this is a make it or break it year for Schneider.

After a sizzling debut with the club in 2023, Schneider had a disappointing 2024 campaign in which hit hit just .191 with a whopping 144 strikeouts in just 397 at-bats over 135 games.

More worrisome is the fact that his struggles worsened as the season went on. As a result, Schneider needed to re-convince Toronto's brass that performance was just a fluke.

That said, things definitely haven’t been much better this season.

He's already struck in a roster battle and he's failed miserably in the limited playing time he's received.

In fact, it looks like he's hit rock bottom.

In nine games this year, the 26-year-old outfielder/infielder had been held hitless with a whopping eight strikeouts in just 13 at-bats, signaling his troubles from last season have now carried into his new year.

To prevent things from spiraling any further, it would be wise for the Jays to send him down to the minors so he can work on his swing away from the pressure of MLB.