With the Blue Jays inching closer and closer to .500 in the standings, things are looking up for the reigning American League champions.

They have won each of their last three series and turned things around in Minnesota after dropping the opening contest. Things are slowly looking up in Toronto, who have also had Trey Yesavage and George Springer return to the club within the last week.

One name that a lot of fans are wondering about is Jose Berrios, who has slowly been working his way back from an elbow injury he suffered in Spring Training. Berrios had a solid first rehab start in Single-A, but allowed five runs in his latest outing in Buffalo. His fastball velocity was much lower at around 92 mph, compared to his usual mid 90s mph on average.

Berrios is slated to pitch one more game in Buffalo on Sunday before the Jays pull the trigger and bring him back to the active roster, and when they do, the organization will have some roster decisions they need to make.

Eric Lauers’ 2026 season is starting incredibly rough compared to 2025.

Lauer owns a 6.00 ERA in six games of work this season, five of which are starts. While he was recovering from illness for the first few starts, the last few have not been kind to Lauer as he continues to get reps from the rotation. He has already surrendered seven home runs this season, almost already at half the amount he allowed in 2025, and the club utilized an opener in his last start, much to the dismay of the southpaw.

One of the issues for Lauer has to be his command, as he has struggled with walks in addition to hard-hit balls against him. His 13 walks are second on the team behind Dylan Cease. The biggest difference has to come down to his stuff not being as effective as Cease’s.

The other is that his stuff is not getting the job done to his benefit. Lauer’s fastball last year held batters to just .194; this season, it’s up to .250 and is responsible for six of his seven home runs allowed. Last wednesdays start against Boston wasn’t perfect, but the Red Sox were hitting the ball hard off of Lauer, which the defence helped produce outs.

Lauer has already been vocal about how he wants to remain in the rotation and also have an opener ahead of him coming into the game. If he wants to be a starter in the league, he may have to accept that it may have to be on a different team; he is likely heading back to the bullpen when Berrios returns.

By far the most out of left field signing the Blue Jays have done is Patrick Corbin. A one-year, $1 million contract to essentially be a stopgap and stop the bleeding of a injury plagued rotation. Corbin’s first outing against the Twins was rocky (four earned runs), but since then, Corbin has actually settled in nicely. He’s recorded 17 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings of work while allowing just six earned runs on 18 hits. Corbin’s slider has been nasty as batters have been whiffing at a 44.7% rate. Despite the tough numbers he has had in the past, Corbin’s slider has always been his strength, as he can make batters chase it wherever he chooses to throw it.

If the Blue Jays would rather cut their losses with Lauer, keeping Corbin on the one-year deal is not a financial burden for the team. On the other side, Corbin could be an interesting trade chip to a team needing some starting depth if the front office wants to keep Lauer over the fellow southpaw. The Jays can keep both on the squad if Lauer or Corbin moves to the bullpen, meaning the Jays will either have to demote an arm or cut ties with a pitcher like Joe Mantiply to make space.

A roster decision is looming for the front office early next week, and it will be interesting to see how Ross Atkins and co. decide to attack the logjam. Berrios is likely returning to the rotation, so someone will have to go, whether it’s DFA, trade, or a bullpen move.

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