Blue Jays leave two huge names off postseason roster ahead of Game 1 of ALDS

The wait is over for the Toronto Blue Jays. Today, the Blue Jays begin their quest to the 2025 World Series by taking on the New York Yankees in the 2025 ALDS.

Despite having some classic moments between the two teams, this ALDS series is the first time the Blue Jays and Yankees will meet in the MLB Postseason. Extra motivation will be there for the Blue Jays to take down their division rivals who will be looking to add to their 27 championships.

With first pitch just hours away, the Blue Jays have officially announced their postseason roster ahead of the ALDS, but two names aren't on the roster, raising some questions about the Blue Jays pitching plans.

Scherzer and Bassitt not on roster

Despite some solid stretches during the season, Blue Jay pitchers Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt were both not named to the postseason roster.

Scherzer had solid stretches over the summer during the season. However, Scherzer finished 2025 with a 5.19 ERA in 17 starts. At 41 years old, Scherzer does have postseason experience winning two World Series titles. Scherzer also did pitch solid against the Yankees this season. Not having a postseason veteran may be a move that caught people by surprise.

For Bassitt, he was arguably the Blue Jays' second best starting pitcher in 2025 behind Kevin Gausman. Bassitt finished 2025 with a 3.96 ERA in 170.1 innings pitched and led the Blue Jays with 11 wins in 32 games pitched (31 starts). Bassitt hasn't pitched since Sept. 18 with dealing with a back injury.

With two starters not on the roster, more pressure will be placed on Gausman, Shane Bieber, Eric Lauer and Trey Yesavage.

Gausman will be the Game 1 starter for today at Rogers Centre. If the Blue Jays pitching struggles in the ALDS, not having Bassitt or Scherzer on the roster could be moves that could hurt Toronto in the end.