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Tyler Rogers has been everything the Blue Jays hoped for to begin 2026
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Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Michael Coyle
May 18, 2026, 16:19 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays are just under a third of the way through the 2026 regular season and find themselves third in the American League East with a record of 21-25.  
While this isn’t where the Blue Jays hoped to be, one of the major bright spots on the 26-man roster to this point has been reliever Tyler Rogers. The Blue Jays inked Rogers to a three-year, $37 million contract on December 15 to try to bulk up a bullpen that already consisted of high-leverage arms Jeff Hoffman and Louis Varland. 
The idea at the time of the signing is that Rogers, who had been used in a set-up role with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets during his previous seven seasons, would slot in the eighth inning ahead of Hoffman, who would man the ninth. While Hoffman has been replaced in the closer’s role by Varland, Rogers continues to be manager John Schneider’s go-to guy late in games. 
Through 22 outings this season, Rogers is 1-2 with a 1.69 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 21 1/3 innings pitched. The right-hander has only allowed a total of four earned runs, giving the Blue Jays a weapon in their bullpen capable of locking down games in tight situations. 
The submariner’s advanced metrics back up the eye test, highlighting just how dominant the 35-year-old has been to open the 2026 regular season. Rogers’ average exit velocity is 83.4 MPH, placing him in the top one percent of all MLB pitchers. 
Opposing teams have struggled to a .213 average against the right-hander, and of the 67 batted balls that Rogers has allowed, 0 have been barrelled up. Opposing batters have just failed time and time again to square him up, highlighted by his hard-hit percentage of 22.4%, good for the top two percent of MLB. 
In the Blue Jays’ 4-1 win over the Tigers on Sunday, Rogers was tasked with the ninth inning. With Varland unavailable after throwing two innings the day prior, and Hoffman being charged with the loss on Friday night, Schneider turned to Rogers. After a leadoff walk to Matt Vierling, Rogers settled in to retire the next three batters, picking up his first save in a Blue Jays uniform. Rogers recorded a groundout, a popout, and a strikeout, keeping the Tigers off-balance and continuing the domination he’s flashed in 2026. 
The save came while working on back-to-back days, highlighting Rogers’ ability to take the ball most days due to his unconventional pitching style, which puts less strain on his arm. Having a reliever, like Rogers, who can continuously take the ball two days in a row has been vital for the Blue Jays, who have found themselves locked into many tight games through the opening two months. Rogers has worked back-to-back days six times this season and has appeared in just over 46% of Blue Jays games this year. 
As the Blue Jays continue to hunt for better results in May, the offseason addition of Rogers has proven to be exactly what the Blue Jays hoped for when they inked the unorthodox right-hander. 

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