Vertigo to blame for this outfielder's incredibly slow start

The Toronto Blue Jays 2026 regular season has been downright mystifying at times. No one wants to offer excuses for poor performance, but sometimes there are valid reasons about why a team is struggling.

One of the questions this season was how many of the Blue Jays' pieces could step up and fill the offensive void left by Bo Bichette and others? Would someone like Ernie Clement be the same guy who set a postseason record for hits? Another such player found himself in the midst of a prolonged offensive slump, and there could be reasons to explain what is going on.

The Blue Jays recently announced that Nathan Lukes has been suffering from vertigo. According to Sportsnet's Arden Zwelling, the issue dates back to spring training and involved bouts of nausea/dizziness. For the record, vertigo is a sensation that makes you feel like other objects are moving even though they are still. It's generally curable as long as patients receive proper treatment, but it can be a real pain in the neck.

Nathan Lukes looking to overcome vertigo and a slow start

The 31-year-old Lukes had played sporadically enough in the prior two seasons that he needed to demonstrate his 2025 season was no fluke. Alas, that hasn't happened as the Arizona native has stammered to a .214 average, .506 OPS, along with four runs scored, zero home runs and five RBIs in 16 total games played. It was getting bad enough that his name was seriously in danger of being booted from the roster.

It turns out that Lukes could have been facing something a lot more serious. Vertigo is common enough that most fans probably know someone suffering from it. Imagine how difficult it must be when something is directly affecting your ability to participate.

It would be the equivalent of a construction laborer battling severe back problems. Bottom line, it makes your job a whole lot harder. The Blue Jays can ill afford to force a player onto the roster when he is incapable of helping the cause.

The good news is that Lukes may be getting back on track. After returning to Arizona, Lukes registered back-to-back games of three hits apiece. He got the party started in the finale against the Diamondbacks by amassing two hits and three RBIs before the top of the first inning ended. His opposite-field shot looked much better for a guy who had spent the first few weeks of the season uncharacteristically chasing too many pitches.

Lukes could still be a huge piece of the Blue Jays going forward. There will be plenty of at-bats available considering the bevy of Toronto injuries. Lukes is also an outstanding defender. He had an amazing outfield assist against the Diamondbacks, and logged 3 Outs Above Average (OAA) last season that registered in the 81st percentile of baseball last season.

The Blue Jays could use his contact-heavy approach at a time when they are struggling to consistently score runs. That approach was critical in the postseason when he hit .333 against the New York Yankees in the ALDS.

Blue Jays fans can only hope that Lukes is back on track and can get back to normal before too long.

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