5 Blue Jays players that have been major disappointments this season

For the 2023 season, there have been many Toronto Blue Jays players that have played a major role in leading the team to success so far this season. First and foremost has to be the tremendous bounce back seasons by starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi and, to a slightly lesser extent, José Berríos. After struggling for almost the entire 2022 season, in particular for Kikuchi who was even relegated to bullpen duties near the end of the season, both pitchers have been a renaissance for 2023 in leading the Jays to many victories so far this year.

In addition to Kikuchi and Berríos, there have been strong contributions from unexpected sources in both Whit Merrifield and Kevin Kiermaier. Being a huge question mark near the start of the season, Merrifield has revitalized his career by regaining his prior All-Star form this season with the Jays, while Kiermaier has combined his stellar defence with some unforeseen offensive output to help the ballclub. In terms of the Jays’ bullpen, left-handed reliever Tim Mayza has been having the best season in recent memory from a relief pitcher, while trade deadline acquisition Génesis Cabrera has been truly lights out ever since joining the team in July.

At the same time, there have been some players that have severely underachieved this season. As a result, they have turned out to be major disappointments for the Blue Jays this year, as much more was expected from them than what they have produced so far. No doubt they would certainly need to step up their game soon in order for them to have further success with the team and in their careers in the long run.

In this review, we will take a look at five Jays’ players that have unfortunately failed to meet expectations for the 2023 year.