AL playoff standings: Blue Jays' remaining schedule looks favourable after this week

Tuesday marks the beginning of what could be the most important week of the 2026 season for the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto entered the day 0.5 games back of the final American League wild card spot with a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on tap. After that is a weekend showdown with the banged-up New York Yankees in the Bronx. 

However, the Blue Jays’ remaining schedule after this brutal stretch is about as easy as they could hope for, putting them squarely in the driver’s seat to climb the AL playoff standings. 

What does the Blue Jays’ remaining schedule look like? 

If the Blue Jays can survive these six games against these AL East juggernauts, they will return home in good shape to host the lowly Kansas City Royals and dysfunctional Seattle Mariners over the final week of August. Both have extremely weak lineups. 

The Blue Jays will then hit the road in the first week of September, taking on the Cleveland Guardians and the Royals again. The Guardians have been hanging around the Wild Card race, but Toronto can and should beat them.

Things really get interesting after a series against the Athletics. The Blue Jays’ remaining schedule from September 11th through the end of the season sees them play 12 of their 15 games against the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, and Texas Rangers—all teams currently jockeying with each other in the AL playoff standings. Strong play during these two weeks could be what ultimately sends the Blue Jays back to the postseason. 

After that, Toronto concludes its season with three games against the Cincinnati Reds. They figure to be out of contention in the much stronger National League by the time those games roll around on the final weekend. 

None of the teams the Blue Jays are set to play against, after the Yankees, currently have a record above .500, although several figure to be fighting for their playoff lives. That can obviously change depending on how the next two weeks play out as well. Still, it would be hard to dream up a more ideal lineup of teams to play over the final five weeks.

The elephant in the room isn’t that the Blue Jays aren’t exactly a juggernaut themselves. Their offence remains, by all metrics, one of the worst in MLB. Their pitching staff is one key injury away from implosion. Yet that’s been the case over their recent stretch of improved play, too. They’ve clearly found a way to start winning more games. 

Can they keep it up? Only time will tell. But the Blue Jays’ remaining schedule is about as easy as it gets after this challenging week, presenting them with a prime opportunity to come out atop the AL playoff standings and secure the third Wild Card. It’s up to them to stay focused, take things one game at a time, and finish the job. 

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