Reliever Mason Fluharty will open for the Toronto Blue Jays during Friday’s series opener at Yankee Stadium, per the club’s announcement.

Fluharty, who’ll be making his MLB-leading and career-high 68th appearance of the season, will look to neutralize a New York lineup capable of deploying several left-handed batters, including Ben Rice, Trent Grisham, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Luis García Jr. and Spencer Jones, among others.

The 25-year-old, second-year major leaguer has thrived in left-on-left matchups this season, holding opponents to a .154/.219/.221 slash line and a 21.7 per cent strikeout-minus-walk rate (K-BB%) thus far. This will mark his fourth opener start in 2026, tying Spencer Miles’ total on the campaign, with both slotting in behind Braydon Fisher’s team-leading eight opener starts.

Another factor that likely steered the Blue Jays’ brass towards this decision is Fluharty’s recent success versus the Yankees, whose offence has produced just five hits (four singles) and one walk with two strikeouts over their last 26 plate appearances against him.

Fluharty can cover beyond three outs if needed, which he’s already done seven times earlier this season. He’ll eventually hand the ball to Friday’s bulk arm, who’ll either be Simeon Woods Richardson (0.59 ERA in five appearances with the Blue Jays) or Spencer Arrighetti (foot nerve irritation), who’s expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list prior to first pitch.

Arrighetti isn’t fully stretched out after spending almost a month on the IL and tossing fewer than four innings in each of his two Triple-A rehab starts since coming over via trade from the Houston Astros. In his most recent outing with Buffalo, he threw 50 pitches (35 strikes) across 3.2 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out three.

The 26-year-old starter likely could’ve benefited from one final rehab start before returning, providing the right-hander an opportunity to build up further after missing as much time as he has. But with the Blue Jays in the middle of a razor-thin race for the final AL wild-card spot and needing to win as many games as possible down the stretch, they’re beyond the point of saving bullets for later.

These are essentially post-season games for Toronto. As such, they’ll need to rely on their best 13 pitchers in the organization, and if Arrighetti is healthy, he’ll be firmly among that mix.

All season long, Fluharty has been near the top of that list, sporting a 3.71 ERA and 3.66 FIP with a 16.9 per cent K-BB%. That’s allowed him to be a workhorse from late March into the dog days of summer, entering Friday’s contest an inning and two-thirds away from matching last season’s innings total (52.2) — and there’s still another month to go.

Presuming the Blue Jays remain competitive through the end of September, odds are Fluharty could make anywhere between 12-17 appearances the rest of the way. He’s already appeared in over half of the club’s 129 games this year. At that rate, he could threaten Tyler Rogers’ career-high 81 appearances from a season ago, the most by any major-league reliever.

Speaking of Rogers, he’s currently at 60 games this season, one back of Fisher. Behind those two sits closer Louis Varland, who’s pitched in 59 contests after logging a career-high 74 in 2025, setting the table for his record-breaking October — making the most appearances in a single post-season with 15.

There’s a stable of horses at the back end of Toronto’s bullpen, and Fluharty has been leading the race since the stall doors opened.

Some baseball traditions never get old. The Perfect 9 Collection is our newest limited-edition collaboration with Blue Jays Today, inspired by the viral 9/9/9 challenge that has become a staple of baseball culture. Whether you’re taking on the challenge or just enjoying a day at the ballpark, this collection celebrates the moments that make baseball unforgettable. Featuring premium Levelwear apparel with elevated fabrics and modern fits, it’s designed for fans who live and breathe the game—on game day and beyond. Limited edition. Premium quality. Built for baseball fans. Shop the Perfect 9 Collection while it lasts. Exclusively at nationgear.ca