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Blue Jays: Nathan Lukes hits home run in second rehab game
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Photo credit: © Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
May 22, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: May 22, 2026, 07:48 EDT
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It appears as if the Toronto Blue Jays are going to get one of their injured outfielders back sooner rather than later.
Nathan Lukes began a rehab assignment with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays on Wednesday. Serving as the designated hitter, that game saw him draw two walks and drive in a run with a sacrifice fly, meaning he didn’t register an at-bat.
That wasn’t the case in the D-Jays 10-8 loss to the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels on Thursday. In the first game of the doubleheader, Lukes was penciled in as the D-Jays’ right fielder, grounding out in his first plate appearance. But in his next plate appearances, Lukes hit a clutch single, driving in the runner from second to cut the Mighty Mussels’ lead in half.
In his next and final plate appearance, Lukes led-off the bottom of the fifth with the D-Jays still down 4-2. After fouling off the first pitch, Lukes clobbered a hanging slider over the centre field fence, with the ball coming off the bat at 102.1 mph, traveling a distance of 403 feet.
Lukes was eventually lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the sixth and didn’t appear in the D-Jays’ walk-off win in the second game of the doubleheader. It’s unclear if he’ll have another game with the D-Jays, or if he’ll face tougher competition in Triple-A over the weekend.
One thing that is clear is that he’ll be back with the Blue Jays sooner rather than later. The outfielder departed April 24th’s game after hitting a lead-off double, straining his left hamstring in the process. It was a shame as well, as Lukes was slashing .524/.545/.714 with four doubles in 22 plate appearances since April 17th.
That was after a pretty brutal start to his 2026 season, slashing .065/.118/.065 with two singles in his first plate appearances, which earned him a -50 wRC+. Of course, there was a cause for that tough stretch, as he was diagnosed with vertigo, seeing a specialist in Phoenix, Arizona, during the Blue Jays road trip there. Funnily enough, April 17th’s game happened to be against the Diamondbacks.
Anyway, decisions will need to be made once Lukes is activated, as the Blue Jays have a handful of left-handed batting outfielders, namely Yohendrick Piñango, Jesús Sánchez, and Daulton Varsho. That doesn’t even include Addison Barger, who is currently on the 10-day injured list with elbow inflammation.
Lukes’ ability to work a count and make contact is sorely needed for a Blue Jays team that just can’t seem to put together a string of victories.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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