How John Schneider can maximize his bullpen with the return of Erik Swanson

The Toronto Blue Jays are finally getting Erik Swanson back to the mix in the bullpen and that is giving Manager John Schneider plenty of options to consider. Swanson made his 2025 debut on Sunday and got the win, even with a shaky inning in which he hit a batter, and allowed a run before retiring the side in the ninth. Nonetheless, getting him off the injured list is a boost for this team and figuring out the right spot for him is what Toronto must do.

Swanson has had his moments in his career where he has been dominant, most recently in 2023. That season he threw 66 2/3 innings with a 145 ERA+, giving up just eight home runs and striking out 75.

The Blue Jays finally have Erik Swanson back, but John Schneider must be careful with how he uses him.

In 2024, he was roughed up, giving up a lot of hard contact and allowing the most home runs he had allowed in a single season since his rookie year in 2019.

Getting back to his 2023 form could secure him a spot in a high leverage role with Toronto. The team is already down Yimi Garcia, who was the setup guy prior to hitting the injured list. In that dominant 2023 season, Swanson posted a 2.97 ERA with a K/9 of 10.13 and a 1.10 WHIP.

Before getting thrown back into high leverage situations, Swanson should be given the bulk of seventh inning duties or specific righty-righty matchups. If he gets in a groove then Schneider should experiment with it, but for now, giving him a chance to go after hitters in lower leverage and build up his confidence would be more beneficial.

Until Swanson is ready for these high leverage situations, the Blue Jays must keep things they way it has been. Jeff Hoffman must remain the closer, despite some struggles lately, where he has gotten quite unlucky, Toronto should give him the run way to let him work things out. His xERA is down to 3.07, while it's actually 6.04. That's a big three run difference. Additionally, his xFIP is down to 2.44, while his actual FIP is up to 4.15. Judging by those numbres, Hoffman will be just fine and they should keep him there.

The two setup roles should stay with Yariel Rodriguez and Brendon Little. Rodriguez has been excellent recently, posting an ERA of 2.73 with a 0.94 WHIP. He got off to a bit of a slow start, but settled in with a long scoreless streak.

Little has also been dominant and has really stepped up in high leverage situations. On the year his ERA is down to 1.37 with a 2.36 FIP.

Getting Swanson back is definitely a positive for this team and is giving the Blue Jays a good problem to have. He does not have a specific role just yet, but Schneider has the luxury of easing him back into difficult situations.