The Toronto Blue Jays’ bullpen has a big task ahead of them. After DFA’ing Eric Lauer, then trading him to the Dodgers for a player to be named later or cash considerations, the Blue Jays are missing their fifth starter. This isn’t an ideal situation at any point, but especially not when the Blue Jays don’t have a day off until June 1.

It’s especially worrying to be down a starter during a long stint that includes four-game series against their division rivals, the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles, later this month.

The decision to move on from Lauer came after several rough outings and some worries about his relationship with manager John Schneider. Lauer had a fantastic appearance in his first start of the season against the Athletics. However, he came down with the flu ahead of his next start, causing him to lose weight. Since then, he’s struggled with his velocity and his command.

The Blue Jays used an opener for Lauer against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 17. Following the game, Lauer made his opinion on using an opener very clear, stating, “To be real blunt, I hate it.” While he and Schneider spoke about it afterwards, it did cause fans to worry about Lauer’s relationship with the Blue Jays’ manager.

The Blue Jays did not use an opener for Lauer again until May 10 against the Angels. Spencer Miles pitched three scoreless innings for the Blue Jays before Tommy Nance put up a scoreless inning of his own. However, when Lauer came into the game, he gave up a two-run home run to Oswald Peraza. The Blue Jays left Lauer in for the remainder of the game, and he gave up two more home runs, both to Jo Adell, causing the Blue Jays to lose 6-1. After that, the writing seemed to be on the wall for Lauer’s time with the Blue Jays.

The problem is that the Blue Jays are now without a fifth starter, and help isn’t on the way in the near future. Shane Bieber has started throwing live bullpen sessions, but a return to the Blue Jays before the end of May seems unlikely. Max Scherzer was struggling to start the year before landing on the IL due to right arm tendinitis. He has started throwing again, but will likely need a couple of rehab starts before returning to the Blue Jays.

José Berríos had looked like he was close to returning at one point, but has since suffered setbacks in his recovery from a stress fracture. He’s undergoing surgery on his right elbow to treat the issue.

So, unless the Blue Jays sign another starter, as they did with Patrick Corbin, they’ll be reliant on bullpen days to fill the void in the rotation. Right now, it seems like Miles will be a key part of the Blue Jays’ plan. He’s been an effective bulk reliever for Toronto this season. He’s pitched to a 2.55 ERA in 13 appearances and 24 2/3 innings.

On top of the three scoreless innings he threw against the Angels in Lauer’s final appearances with the Blue Jays, he pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday. That was the first bullpen day since DFA’ing Lauer. Six pitchers threw for the Blue Jays, while surrendering just one run in a 2-1 extra innings win.

Other options for the Blue Jays would likely come from Buffalo. Names such as Josh Fleming, CJ Van Eyk, and Chad Dallas have been thrown out as possibilities, but so far, the Blue Jays have not made a move to bring any of them up to the big leagues.

If the plan, as it seems to be, is to have a bullpen day every five games, that also adds pressure to the starting rotation to get as deep into games as possible. Dylan Cease has been exceptional this season and has pitched seven innings in his last three starts. Kevin Gausman has pitched into the sixth inning in all but two of his starts in 2026. The two outliers were on April 25, when he pitched into the seventh against the Cleveland Guardians, and on May 11, when he was pulled after 4 2/3 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Trey Yesavage has pitched into the sixth inning twice, but only made it four innings in his other two starts. He is also returning from injury and is in his first full season in MLB. That may mean the Blue Jays will be more cautious with his workload.

Patrick Corbin has been an unexpected bright spot for the Blue Jays in 2026. He was signed as an inning eater with the Blue Jays rotation hampered by injuries. However, he’s come through for the Blue Jays, posting a 4.23 ERA in eight starts. The only downside is that he hasn’t made it further than 5 2/3 innings, and only pitched four innings against the New York Yankees in Monday’s 7-6 loss.

The Blue Jays are going to need to get as much length as possible from their four starters during this long stint. The bullpen will need as much rest as possible if the plan is for them to fill the void left by Lauer.

The position also needs to come through for the bullpen during this long stint. That means avoiding fielding errors that extend innings longer than necessary. It also means coming through offensively to limit high-leverage situations and, ideally, extra innings.

The Blue Jays’ bullpen has performed well for the most part in 2026. There have been some low points, particularly from Brendon Little and Jeff Hoffman, but there have also been a lot of high points, especially from Louis Varland and Tyler Rogers. The next weeks will likely be their biggest test so far in 2026, and to get through it, the bullpen will need help from every member of the Blue Jays’ roster.

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