Blue Jays have a starting rotation dilemma in their pursuit of the postseason

When Jameson Taillon returned to the injured list this past weekend, the Toronto Blue Jays faced an all-too-familiar situation heading into the stretch run in September. The Blue Jays' starting rotation will be facing adversity once again in their quest to make the postseason this year.

Currently, Toronto has just three clear-cut starters that have been working for them. Without a doubt Dylan Cease has been the dominant cog of the rotation for much of the 2026 season. Who knows where the Blue Jays would even be right now without their prized signing from the past offseason.

José Soriano has been a dependable piece since the Jays acquired him from the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline. Despite some slight hiccups here and there, Toronto had been able to secure wins in all but one of his starts since joining the ballclub.

Finally, for someone that many had written off earlier this season due to his immense struggles and injury woes, Max Scherzer has emerged as the surprising rotation performer. Since his return from injury, Scherzer has posted a solid 3.76 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, along with 34 strikeouts in 40.2 innings pitched over eight starts for the Blue Jays. He's gone at least five innings in six of those starts.

But beyond those starting three is where the big questions lie. Spencer Arrighetti is currently the defacto No. 4 starter for the Blue Jays. However, he has looked nothing like the unbeatable pitcher that he was earlier in the season when he was still with the Houston Astros. Yes, the Jays’ horrendous defence and the heat probably could take some of the blame from his last outing against the Kansas City Royals, but it still doesn’t take away the fact that Arrighetti has failed to put up good numbers in his four games in Toronto.

Arrighetti has posted a dismal 0-4 record, with an 8.04 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, while giving up 14 earned runs in 15.2 total innings.

Can the Blue Jays afford to have Spencer Arrighetti's uncertainty in the rotation if they want to be legitimate contenders?

To make matters worse, the Blue Jays have been using a bullpen day every fifth start, their only sense of relief coming during the off days. when the Blue Jays could get away with a four man rotation. However, when that wasn't an option, they would have to deploy at least four relievers or more to get the job done on those bullpen days. While they have gotten really good results out of those outings, the Blue Jays can't continue to tax their bullpen in this fashion all the way to the end of the season.

So what can the Blue Jays do to remedy the rotation? Promoting Spencer Miles to the spot seems like the most sensible decision, given the exceptional success he has shown so far as a rookie this season. However, Miles hasn’t pitched more than 4.1 innings in any game in 2026 so he wouldn’t be able to provide too much length if given the role now. Not to mention that he has excelled in the current swiss-army relief role that he has now, so taking that away could suddenly jeopardize the Blue Jays’ bullpen as well.

Ricky Tiedemann would have been an intriguing option. But given what he has gone through with his injuries and recovery in recent years, the Blue Jays shouldn’t take the risk. They need to keep his workload manageable as he gets back to full strength.

Michael Lorenzen has started many times for the Colorado Rockies this season and could be an option for the Jays. However, he has compiled some of his worst numbers of his career in doing so, registering a 3-11 record, 7.08 ERA, 1.88 WHIP in 25 starts while giving up a league-high 91 earned runs in the process. So perhaps the Blue Jays don’t really want to test those waters at all.

As a result, the best course of action for Toronto could very well be to remain status quo and hang in there with their current rotation setup while praying that Trey Yesavage makes it back as soon as possible to bolster the rotation.

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