The Toronto Blue Jays made a couple roster moves to shake up their outfield mix. MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson reports that Toronto has activated the outfielder from the 10-day injured list. Davis Schneider has been optioned to Triple-A Buffalo as the corresponding move.
Nathan Lukes has been reinstated from the IL.
Lukes, 31, returns after missing a month with a left hamstring strain. He suffered the injury on April 24 against the Cleveland Guardians while legging out a double.
The Blue Jays have been hammered by injuries this season, so getting a key contributor back is welcome news. Toronto has started to play better of late, having won seven of its last 11 games, and is only a game back of a Wild Card spot entering play on May 25.
Blue Jays Welcome Back Nathan Lukes After Hamstring Injury
Lukes gives the Blue Jays another left-handed bat in their outfield. He serves as the club’s strong-side of a platoon in right field. For his career, he carries a .265/.326/.412 slash and a 106 wRC+ against right-handed pitching. In addition to being a reliable platoon bat, his solid corner outfield defense is an asset to Toronto’s lineup.
With Lukes activation from the injured list and Schneider’s demotion, four of the Blue Jays’ five outfielders are left-handed bats. That could leave them a bit exposed to left-handed pitchers when trying to create favorable matchups.
Against right-handed pitchers, the Blue Jays will go with a likely starting outfield of Jesus Sanchez, Daulton Varsho, and Yohendrick Pinango. Myles Straw, the lone right-handed bat, serves as a fourth outfielder.
The Blue Jays are still looking to get healthier in their outfield. Addison Barger is on the injured list with right elbow inflammation. Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet reported on May 23 that their starting right fielder will resume baseball activities.
Tommy Nance (forearm) and Joe Mantiply (knee) are also expected to resume throwing this weekend.
Barger’s return gives the Blue Jays a key middle-of-the-order bat for the stretch run.
Davis Schneider Demoted to Triple-A Buffalo
While the Blue Jays might have been better off keeping Schneider on the major league roster, since he’s a right-handed bat, his performance warranted a demotion. In 2026, he’s hitting just .127 with a .507 OPS in a bench role.
His struggles haven’t been just limited to right-handers. He’s carrying a .108/.340/.135 slash against left-handed pitching. As a right-handed bench bat, it’s tough to justify a roster spot when struggling mightily against lefties.
Additionally, the play of Pinango likely factored into the decision, per Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi. The 24-year-old has a .313/.352/.418 slash in his first 23 MLB games. With Schneider in Triple-A, the rookie should get a larger runway to play moving forward.
The send-down should give Schneider a chance to reset and focus on having better at-bats. Given how left-handed-heavy the Blue Jays’ outfield has gotten, Toronto is hoping to see better results over at least the next 10 days.
With the Blue Jays surging in the Wild Card standings, it’s more likely they’ll become buyers at the trade deadline. In addition to their decimated rotation, Toronto could add a right-handed bat to their outfield. Taylor Ward of the Baltimore Orioles comes to mind as a potential rental option.
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