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Blue Jays: Examining Davis Schneider’s role on the 2026 roster
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Photo credit: © Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Ben Wrixon
Feb 8, 2026, 10:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 8, 2026, 09:09 EST
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Davis Schneider was one of the many unheralded contributors for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2025, but he enters this upcoming season with one of the least concrete roles on the team. 
Schneider, like many of his teammates, rebounded nicely last year after a dreadful campaign in 2024. He hit 11 home runs with a .797 OPS (119+) in just 227 plate appearances. His 15.9% walk rate was the best on the team, albeit in a small sample size. 
This isn’t to suggest his offensive game is perfect. Schneider only hit .234 with an expected batting average of .188, which implies some luck and negative regression. He also struck out a below-average 26.4% of the time. He nonetheless managed a 127 wRC+. 
Schneider’s tough path to playing time in 2026 is more a symptom of the Blue Jays’ current roster than a knock against his abilities, as most of his opportunities in 2025 came when Anthony Santander was sidelined. 
Santander is going to play every day if he’s healthy. The Blue Jays invested $92.5 million into him and will need his bat following Bo Bichette’s departure in free agency. He’ll likely play left field if George Springer is once again the full-time designated hitter, which unfortunately has been Schneider’s primary position over the past two seasons. 
The Blue Jays will need to be creative to get Schneider’s bat into the lineup moving forward. The first place they should look to do that is up the middle of the infield. 
When setting their lineup against tough left-handed pitchers, the Blue Jays could consider sitting Andrés Giménez—who had a .495 OPS against southpaws in 2025—and having Ernie Clement play shortstop. This would open up second base for Schneider, who made 24 appearances there in 2025. He debuted as a second baseman and has shown he can handle the keystone. 
Platooning Giménez would admittedly be a surprising development given his excellent defence. More likely is the Blue Jays working Schneider into the corner outfield mix with Santander, Addison Barger, and Nathan Lukes. He could get at-bats if the latter two sit against left-handed pitchers while newcomer Kazuma Okamoto plays third base. 
None of these choices is straightforward. The unfortunate truth is that there is no clear route for Schneider on paper right now. The Blue Jays have enough quality players on their roster that whenever someone plays, it means someone else worth playing is sitting. Someone who probably deserves to play is going to be out whenever Scheider is in. 
Schneider’s defensive versatility will ensure he gets his opportunities, but he’ll need to make the most of them to force his way into more consistent playing time in 2026.
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