Checking in on 3 ex-Blue Jays in their first week of 2026

The Toronto Blue Jays haven't had a ton of overhaul from their trip to the World Series, which isn't surprising given they were mere outs away from finishing the job. Superstar Bo Bichette and leverage reliever Seranthony Dominguez are two of the biggest losses for the team this season, but the Blue Jays are happy with the jobs that Kazuma Okamoto and Tyler Rogers have done to replace them.

One other swap that has been paying dividends early in the season is Joey Loperfido for Jesus Sanchez. Sanchez has fit in well with the Blue Jays and is already batting high in the lineup, starting his career in Toronto with six hits in 16 at-bats and a home run. After not starting the first two games of the season, the ex-Houston Astros outfielder has been a mainstay in the lineup ever since.

While we know the replacements for these three players have done well for Toronto, let's check in to see how the ex-Blue Jays are doing for their new teams.

How have 3 ex-Blue Jays fared in their first week of 2026?

Bo Bichette

Bichette hasn't had the greatest experience with the New York Mets yet, and got his welcome-to-the-city moment when the fans booed him for his poor performance. Blue Jays fans know well that their former shortstop can be streaky, so a 3-for-23 start to the season isn't a reason to press the panic button, but try telling that to Mets fans. The good news is that after five strikeouts in his first two games, he hasn't had any in his past three.

Another issue that has arisen for Bichette is his comfort level at third base, a position he didn't play in Toronto. There were some questionable moments with Bichette's arm from the shortstop position, which led some fans to raise their eyebrows when the Mets labeled him as a third baseman. If Bichette had stayed in Toronto, the Blue Jays were exploring the possibility of moving him closer to the first base bag instead of farther away.

Seranthony Dominguez

Dominguez had a mostly successful short tenure with the Blue Jays in 2025. After Toronto acquired him from the Baltimore Orioles to bolster their bullpen, Dominguez had some rocky moments early on that didn't do much to ease nerves. However, once he settled in, the right-hander was one of the team's top options through the rest of the regular season and playoffs.

The Chicago White Sox brought Dominguez in to have a similar presence, and his regular season debut went well with a scoreless one-inning outing against the Milwaukee Brewers, albeit in a 6-1 loss. However, the following day in a more high-leverage situation, Dominguez allowed a two-run home run from Christian Yelich in the eighth inning, which handed him his first loss of the season. He hasn't had an appearance for the team since, but the Blue Jays will likely see him this weekend on the South Side.

Joey Loperfido

Loperfido hasn't had quite the same seamless transition into the Astros' lineup as Sanchez did into the Blue Jays', but he has been good in limited action. The outfielder has just two starts on the season, but has also come into games as a pinch-hitter on three occasions. In 16 at-bats, he is batting .313 with a double, an RBI, and a stolen base.

Loperfido had a similar .317 batting average in Spring Training, which helped him break camp with the team after some competition for the final remaining spots.