The Toronto Blue Jays’ pitching staff is excelling despite all its injuries

The 2025 Toronto Blue Jays were built on a pesky, never-say-die offence. They hit their way to the World Series and came up just short in their bid for a title. 

This year’s squad was supposed to be built on pitching with the big offseason signing of Dylan Cease, a full year of Trey Yesavage, and the return of Shane Bieber. The club opened spring training with an enviable amount of depth on paper—then the injuries came. 

Cody Ponce suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the third inning of his first start. Bieber has been sidelined since February with forearm fatigue. José Berríos is out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Max Scherzer is hurt. Yesavage didn’t make his season debut until the end of April while recovering from a shoulder issue. 

The bullpen hasn’t been spared, either. Yimi García has been recovering from elbow surgery, while Tommy Nance and Joe Mantiply have landed on the injured list. Yet, somehow, the Blue Jays’ pitchers have performed well—they are not to blame for the team having fallen short of expectations through the first two months. 

How does the Blue Jays’ pitching compare to the rest of the league?

Blue Jays pitchers entered Monday ranked 10th in MLB in ERA (3.83), fifth in FIP (3.58), and third in total strikeouts (493). Only the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Milwaukee Brewers have gotten more fWAR from their pitchers. 

The starting rotation has done much of the heavy lifting, ranking fourth in the AL in ERA and second in FIP behind only the Yankees. Cease, Yesavage, and Kevin Gausman have been tremendous, while Patrick Corbin has emerged as a surprising contributor. 

The bullpen hasn’t been quite as successful overall, but the core pieces—mainly Braydon Fisher, Tyler Rogers, and Louis Varland—have pitched exceptionally well. A large chunk of the runs the pen has allowed are attributable to blow-up outings from Jeff Hoffman and Brendon Little before the latter was demoted to the minor leagues. Spencer Miles has also excelled.

So, if the pitching has been this good, then why aren't the Blue Jays winning more games?

Toronto's hitters just keep letting their pitchers down. Aside from a brief stretch when Scherzer and Eric Lauer were getting rocked seemingly every time they took the mound, the team’s pitchers have given them a chance to win every single night. 

The good news is that this team is expecting to have Nathan Lukes, Addison Barger, and Alejandro Kirk return to its lineup in the coming weeks. Getting Bieber and García back, meanwhile, will raise both the floor and the ceiling for the pitching staff. 

What this group has accomplished so far with limited personnel is extremely encouraging—and a sign of better things to come for the Blue Jays.

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