The Blue Jays are playing a dangerous game overworking their bullpen

The Toronto Blue Jays improved to 7-1 in their last eight bullpen games this season on Wednesday (Jun. 17), using seven pitchers to shut out the Boston Red Sox 3-0 after Max Scherzer landed on the injured list just hours before first pitch.

They almost paid the price for this on Thursday, however, when they did not have their main bullpen arms available to protect a late lead. A clutch hit from Brandon Valenzuela saved them after an over-extended Trey Yesavage gave up back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning.

Bullpen games are the baseball equivalent of playing with fire—it’s only a matter of time before you get burned. The Blue Jays are playing an extremely dangerous game.

Why can’t the Blue Jays keep doing bullpen games?

The Blue Jays’ propensity for winning bullpen games dates back to last season, the most memorable of which came in game four of the ALDS against the New York Yankees. 

That team had no choice but to go that route because, like the current Blue Jays, they didn’t have enough healthy starting pitchers. The difference is that off days are plentiful in the postseason, whereas the 2026 squad is currently navigating a gruelling stretch of 16 consecutive games—everyone used could be needed the next day.

Four Blue Jays relievers—Mason Fluharty, Tyler Rogers, Louis Varland, and Jeff Hoffman—entered Friday ranked within the top ten for appearances in all of MLB. Rogers throws 82 mph with a rubber arm; he gets paid big money to pitch 80-plus times a year. Asking someone like Varland to throw this hard this often is a different story.

They will feel the weight of this unsustainable workload eventually, whether it’s in August, September, or October. Someone is going to run out of gas. Having your big dogs running on fumes when you need them most is a frightening proposition. 

Getting Shane Bieber back will be a massive boost. He should slide into Scherzer’s slot, eliminating the need for a true bullpen game the next time through the rotation. It’s the Patrick Corbin spot that is more concerning, as he’s failed to complete four innings in two straight starts, effectively turning those outings into bullpen games.

Then there's the issue of what happened with Kevin Gausman against the Cubs on Friday (Jun. 19). Gausman looked completely lost and only lasted two innings before the bullpen was once again asked to work into over time.

Dylan Cease factors into this conversation, too, with his start on Tuesday being a prime example of why. He needed 108 pitches to complete five innings against the lowly Red Sox offence, which meant the team still had to use four relievers in what was ultimately a comfortable 6-1 win. He hasn’t yet shown he can consistently go six-plus innings. 

The Blue Jays need to acquire a starting pitcher at the 2026 trade deadline, and ideally sooner rather than later if another team is willing to sell early. Asking the bullpen to cover six innings every fifth day is a recipe for disaster—even if it’s been a successful strategy thus far. 

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