<p>The Blue Jays undoubtedly have one of the toughest schedules out of all contenders for the remaining regular season, which includes a host of postseason-worthy teams. This last stretch will either prove that Toronto is worthy of making a deep playoff run or will show signs of durability concerns.</p>
<p>But before the Blue Jays worry about the playoffs, they have to take care of business against some of the better teams. Here are five players who could give the Blue Jays a hard time in each of the remaining series.</p>
<hr />
<h3>Houston Astros: Yordan Alvarez, DH</h3>
<p>After a lengthy time on the injured list, Yordan Alvarez–also known as Air Yordan–is finally back in Houston’s lineup.</p>
<p>This isn’t particularly good news for the Blue Jays as they host the Astros at the Rogers Centre on Tuesday. Alvarez is slashing .271/.372/.443 in 140 at-bats with six home runs and 27 RBIs, a slight decline per his standards. But this is a player who slashed .308/.392/.567 in 635 plate appearances last year. There is still enough talent for Alvarez to torment opposing pitchers, and he has usually come out on top in these battles.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Yordan Alvarez and Christian Walker homer in a double-digit <a href="https://twitter.com/astros?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Astros</a> victory over the Rangers. <a href="https://t.co/TRyNLoHJpp">pic.twitter.com/TRyNLoHJpp</a></p>
<p>&mdash; MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1964519260258259081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The Blue Jays will have plenty to worry about with the Houston lineup featuring Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Yainer Diaz and Jeremy Peña; their biggest concern should be Alvarez as they prepare for the upcoming home series. Against Toronto, Alvarez has recorded a .317 average, 12 home runs and 31 RBIs through 35 games and the Jays&#8217; pitching staff has been home run prone this year.</p>
<p>Stop him at all costs, then there will be a better chance to secure a series win.</p>
<hr />
<h3>Baltimore Orioles: Gunnar Henderson, SS</h3>
<p>Gunnar Henderson has blossomed into one of the better players on the young Baltimore Orioles position player core. Although he missed a few games to start the season and the Orioles are in the basement of the division, he is still on track to record one of the better offensive years in his young career.</p>
<p>Henderson currently boasts a slashline of .274/.347/.448 through 507 at-bats. He also has 16 home runs, which could increase up to 20 easily by the end of the season. This isn’t quite as high as his 37 home runs in 2024, but given his injury stint earlier this year, it isn’t a shabby number either. He has also posted a stellar 4.5 bWAR so far this season while chipping in with 21 stolen bases.</p>
<p>Henderson doesn’t have a strong number against the Blue Jays, though. Through 153 career at-bats, he owns a .735 OPS with a .324 OBP, but he&#8217;s found some power at the plate to the tune of 11 extra-base hits. But that doesn’t necessarily dictate how he will play against the Blue Jays in September, although he is riding a .231 average through his last seven games.</p>
<hr />
<h3>Tampa Bay Rays: Junior Caminero, 3B</h3>
<p>The Tampa Bay Rays may be barely hanging in the playoff picture, but Junior Caminero has been everything the team has dreamed of.</p>
<p>On the surface, Caminero’s slashline of 263/.304/.541 is a strong mark of a power hitter. He really shines in the home run power; this year alone, Caminero has 41 home runs under his belt and doesn’t seem to be slowing down either, with 103 RBIs to back up his claims.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="es" dir="ltr">40-HOMER SEASON for Junior Caminero! <a href="https://t.co/N6U3ABmKTi">pic.twitter.com/N6U3ABmKTi</a></p>
<p>&mdash; MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1963046789717631010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>He’s also done well against the Blue Jays this year. In six games, he has three doubles and two home runs to his credit, going eight for 23 (.333) against the AL East rival. If we walk down memory lane, he hit a grand slam against Jeff Hoffman at Rogers Centre earlier this year, which is one of the more agonizing moments in the 2025 Blue Jays’ season.</p>
<p>Caminero also had one of the better stretches against the most recent series against the Seattle Mariners with a .615 BA, eight hits, one home run and 8 RBIs. If that version of this young third baseman is showing up to any of the series against Toronto, the Blue Jays have a lot to be worried about.</p>
<hr />
<h3>Kansas City Royals: Bobby Witt. Jr, SS</h3>
<p>The Kansas City Royals aren’t quite playing up to their expectations this year, but they are still chasing the last Wild Card spot in the AL. The Royals are still a formidable force to be reckoned with, largely because of young players like Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino, among many.</p>
<p>Witt Jr. has come down from his 2024 stat line (.332/.389/.588), but is still slashing .294/.352/.503 with 21 home runs in 605 plate appearances. The former first-round draft pick is also one of the fastest players in the league; he’s second in sprint speed (30.2 ft/sec), which is only behind Trea Turner.</p>
<p>The 25-year-old infielder has also had some of the better records against the Blue Jays. In 24 games against Toronto, he’s hit three home runs and recorded 14 RBIs and a .283 BA. With his team fighting for a playoff spot, Witt. Jr. won’t make any games easy for the Blue Jays.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">No Bobby Witt Jr. in the starting lineup for the second straight game. He has not played since the 7th inning on Friday due to back spasms.</p>
<p>It&#39;s his first time out of the starting lineup for consecutive games since late July of 2022 (right hamstring tightness). <a href="https://t.co/LDlv7Yc3GS">https://t.co/LDlv7Yc3GS</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Jake Eisenberg (@JakeEisenberg_) <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeEisenberg_/status/1964715399704158642?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Witt Jr. is currently battling some back spasm issues, but the likelihood is that he will be ready to go against the Blue Jays later this month.</p>
<hr />
<h3>Boston Red Sox: Alex Bregman, 3B</h3>
<p>Alex Bregman has always been a very solid hitter with the Houston Astros, and that hasn’t changed since he joined the Boston Red Sox. The infielder owns a .278/.361/.478 slash line and a .839 OPS through 370 at-bats. Bregman missed considerable time this summer due to a quad strain.</p>
<p>He has also been a Blue Jays killer in a way throughout his career as well.</p>
<p>Bregman has faced the Blue Jays across 55 games and has 11 home runs, 34 RBIs and a .288 BA during that span. When healthy, Bregman has been one of the most reliable hitters on the surging Red Sox team after Rafael Devers’ trade to the San Francisco Giants, although he has seen a slight dip in his production as of late (.119 average through last 59 at-bats). That can change before the Red Sox and Jays clash later this month, and he should be one name that Toronto keeps an eye on.</p>
<hr />
<p>&nbsp;</p>


The Blue Jays undoubtedly have one of the toughest schedules out of all contenders for the remaining regular season, which includes a host of postseason-worthy teams. This last stretch will either prove that Toronto is worthy of making a deep playoff run or will show signs of durability concerns.

But before the Blue Jays worry about the playoffs, they have to take care of business against some of the better teams. Here are five players who could give the Blue Jays a hard time in each of the remaining series.

<hr />

<h3>Houston Astros: Yordan Alvarez, DH</h3>
After a lengthy time on the injured list, Yordan Alvarez–also known as Air Yordan–is finally back in Houston’s lineup.

This isn’t particularly good news for the Blue Jays as they host the Astros at the Rogers Centre on Tuesday. Alvarez is slashing .271/.372/.443 in 140 at-bats with six home runs and 27 RBIs, a slight decline per his standards. But this is a player who slashed .308/.392/.567 in 635 plate appearances last year. There is still enough talent for Alvarez to torment opposing pitchers, and he has usually come out on top in these battles.

https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1964519260258259081

The Blue Jays will have plenty to worry about with the Houston lineup featuring Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Yainer Diaz and Jeremy Peña; their biggest concern should be Alvarez as they prepare for the upcoming home series. Against Toronto, Alvarez has recorded a .317 average, 12 home runs and 31 RBIs through 35 games and the Jays' pitching staff has been home run prone this year.

Stop him at all costs, then there will be a better chance to secure a series win.

<hr />

<h3>Baltimore Orioles: Gunnar Henderson, SS</h3>
Gunnar Henderson has blossomed into one of the better players on the young Baltimore Orioles position player core. Although he missed a few games to start the season and the Orioles are in the basement of the division, he is still on track to record one of the better offensive years in his young career.

Henderson currently boasts a slashline of .274/.347/.448 through 507 at-bats. He also has 16 home runs, which could increase up to 20 easily by the end of the season. This isn’t quite as high as his 37 home runs in 2024, but given his injury stint earlier this year, it isn’t a shabby number either. He has also posted a stellar 4.5 bWAR so far this season while chipping in with 21 stolen bases.

Henderson doesn’t have a strong number against the Blue Jays, though. Through 153 career at-bats, he owns a .735 OPS with a .324 OBP, but he's found some power at the plate to the tune of 11 extra-base hits. But that doesn’t necessarily dictate how he will play against the Blue Jays in September, although he is riding a .231 average through his last seven games.

<hr />

<h3>Tampa Bay Rays: Junior Caminero, 3B</h3>
The Tampa Bay Rays may be barely hanging in the playoff picture, but Junior Caminero has been everything the team has dreamed of.

On the surface, Caminero’s slashline of 263/.304/.541 is a strong mark of a power hitter. He really shines in the home run power; this year alone, Caminero has 41 home runs under his belt and doesn’t seem to be slowing down either, with 103 RBIs to back up his claims.

https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1963046789717631010

He’s also done well against the Blue Jays this year. In six games, he has three doubles and two home runs to his credit, going eight for 23 (.333) against the AL East rival. If we walk down memory lane, he hit a grand slam against Jeff Hoffman at Rogers Centre earlier this year, which is one of the more agonizing moments in the 2025 Blue Jays’ season.

Caminero also had one of the better stretches against the most recent series against the Seattle Mariners with a .615 BA, eight hits, one home run and 8 RBIs. If that version of this young third baseman is showing up to any of the series against Toronto, the Blue Jays have a lot to be worried about.

<hr />

<h3>Kansas City Royals: Bobby Witt. Jr, SS</h3>
The Kansas City Royals aren’t quite playing up to their expectations this year, but they are still chasing the last Wild Card spot in the AL. The Royals are still a formidable force to be reckoned with, largely because of young players like Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino, among many.

Witt Jr. has come down from his 2024 stat line (.332/.389/.588), but is still slashing .294/.352/.503 with 21 home runs in 605 plate appearances. The former first-round draft pick is also one of the fastest players in the league; he’s second in sprint speed (30.2 ft/sec), which is only behind Trea Turner.

The 25-year-old infielder has also had some of the better records against the Blue Jays. In 24 games against Toronto, he’s hit three home runs and recorded 14 RBIs and a .283 BA. With his team fighting for a playoff spot, Witt. Jr. won’t make any games easy for the Blue Jays.

https://twitter.com/JakeEisenberg_/status/1964715399704158642

Witt Jr. is currently battling some back spasm issues, but the likelihood is that he will be ready to go against the Blue Jays later this month.

<hr />

<h3>Boston Red Sox: Alex Bregman, 3B</h3>
Alex Bregman has always been a very solid hitter with the Houston Astros, and that hasn’t changed since he joined the Boston Red Sox. The infielder owns a .278/.361/.478 slash line and a .839 OPS through 370 at-bats. Bregman missed considerable time this summer due to a quad strain.

He has also been a Blue Jays killer in a way throughout his career as well.

Bregman has faced the Blue Jays across 55 games and has 11 home runs, 34 RBIs and a .288 BA during that span. When healthy, Bregman has been one of the most reliable hitters on the surging Red Sox team after Rafael Devers’ trade to the San Francisco Giants, although he has seen a slight dip in his production as of late (.119 average through last 59 at-bats). That can change before the Red Sox and Jays clash later this month, and he should be one name that Toronto keeps an eye on.

<hr />

&nbsp;

5 opposing hitters that may give the Blue Jays’ pitching staff some trouble in September

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