Blue Jays 2026 Opening Day roster could include 2 wild surprises

The start of the 2026 MLB regular season is right on our finger tips and the Toronto Blue Jays have their 26-man roster more or less set, with just two question marks remaining. Two spots apparently are still up for grabs, which includes one for the bullpen and one for the bench.

According to Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet, the final bullpen slot will be filled by either Chase Lee or Spencer Miles. As for the last bench spot, it will come down to the incumbents Davis Schneider and Leo Jiménez. Zwelling further elaborated that decisions will likely be made by Wednesday afternoon. With that, there is a high possibility that the Blue Jays 2026 Opening Day roster could include two wild surprises when all is said and done.

Blue Jays 2026 Opening Day roster could include 2 wild surprises

With respect to the relievers, one would figure that Lee would have the upper hand. After all, he was one of the Blue Jays’ key offseason moves to bolster their bullpen when they acquired him from the Detroit Tigers in a trade for pitching prospect Johan Simon. On top of that, Lee had a spotless spring with Toronto, holding his opponents scoreless on just two hits with four strikeouts in 6.1 innings of work over six appearances. So he hasn’t done anything wrong to affect his case.

Miles has also showed some promise after joining the Blue Jays from the Rule 5 Draft this past winter. In seven spring games, the 25-year-old right-hander has posted a solid 3.72 ERA together with 11 strikeouts in just 9.2 total innings pitched. Just on the performance numbers alone, one would think that Lee has clearly won the job outright. However, with Lee still having minor league options available, along with the fact that Toronto may not want to lose Miles right away due to the fact he is a Rule 5 draftee, they could surprise everyone by keeping the latter for Opening Day instead. 

As for the bench battle, the odds-on favourite is still Schneider, since he was an integral part of the team last season in helping the Blue Jays reach the postseason. Added to the fact that Schneider can play both in the outfield and infield, he provides tremendous flexibility in terms of lineup formations for Toronto. However, the 27-year-old utilityman struggled throughout Spring Training, compiling just a .132 average, .409 OPS, along with one run scored, two RBIs with 12 strikeouts in 38 total at-bats. In addition, keep in mind that Schneider also still has minor league options remaining.

Then there’s also Jiménez, who has been vying to become a permanent fixture on the Jays roster for the past couple of seasons. Unfortunately, his limited offensive production during his time up with the big league club has held him back to some extent. He hasn’t helped his cause this spring as well, as he has posted just a .231 average, .541 OPS together with two runs scored and three RBIs in 14 games played.

However, Jiménez is equipped with the ability to play solid defense at multiple positions in the infield. Added to the fact that he has no options remaining, meaning that he would be subject to waivers if he doesn’t make the roster, Jiménez could shock everyone by stealing an Opening Day bench spot from Schneider in the end.

But no matter what the outcomes may turn out to be, the Blue Jays are expected to field a competitive roster that should give them a legitimate shot at another potential long postseason run by the season’s end.