As injuries pile up, Blue Jays reinforcements are sadly still a while away

The Toronto Blue Jays have had the worst possible luck as they have been hit with a barrage of injuries just two weeks into the 2026 MLB season. With almost a third of their regulars from their roster are on the sidelines, it’s no wonder why the Blue Jays are currently in the midst of a dismal six-game losing streak after a strong start to the year. 

Toronto will be in desperation to look for some reinforcements for their battered lineup to help turn things around soon. But even with the injuries piling up, unfortunately, it appears as though those Jays reinforcements are still a while away based on the latest injury updates, as per Mitch Bannon of The Athletic.

Blue Jays could use a bit of luck when it comes to the health of the team

Starting with the pitching staff, after meeting with the doctors, Cody Ponce will undergo knee surgery and will likely miss the rest of the 2026 season. That is a tough blow for both Ponce and the Blue Jays as he was thought to be a key piece of their pitching staff in his return to MLB following his sensational 2025 campaign in the KBO.

For starter Shane Bieber, who had been out with forearm fatigue, he has only been throwing bullpen sessions to date and will be doing more of that in the near future. As for reliever Yimi Garcia, he is also throwing bullpen sessions, but is slightly ahead as he could be moving to live bullpens in a week’s time. In terms of José Berríos, he has already been throwing live sessions and had indicated that he felt good, giving the Jays some hope that he may be back sooner than expected.

The closest of all Blue Jays pitchers in their potential return to the lineup is rookie Trey Yesavage as he has already been making rehab starts. Currently, he is working on building up his pitch count, which he will aim to hit 60 this Thursday in a start with the Blue Jays’ Single-A affiliate Dunedin.

For the position players, the Jays will feel the hurt a little more as catcher Alejandro Kirk underwent successful thumb surgery and is estimated to miss up to six weeks of action. As for Addison Barger, after suffering a sprain to both of his ankles, he has now landed on the 10-day IL due to his left ankle sprain. On the bright side, at least it doesn’t appear he will be out as long as Kirk.

In terms of the Blue Jays’ latest casualty in Max Scherzer, he had left the game on Monday in what turned out to be forearm tendinitis. Fortunately, it appears as though he will still be able to make his next scheduled start this weekend against the Minnesota Twins. But it will be a concerning situation that needs monitoring, as hopefully it won’t be a lingering issue for any length of time this season to affect the effectiveness of Scherzer.

Nevertheless, the Blue Jays will need to somehow find a way to hold down the fort while they await the eventual returns of their teammates on the injured list. Otherwise, with the way that they have been playing now, Toronto could already be in a huge insurmountable hole to dig out of by the time they do arrive.