The Toronto Blue Jays 2026 season hasn’t gone the way that fans all across Canada had hoped, but after a deadline that saw them make some very successful moves, all of a sudden they’ve managed to find momentum.
With victories in nine of their past 14 games, this is a team now sitting at 56-63 on the season, and while it’s way too little, way too late for this team, the progression as this team continues to get healthy will be exciting for the organization. Down the stretch, they’ll look to get some pieces of the future more involved, and after a weekend series win over the Phillies, they’ve made a move regarding a former top prospect.
Simeon Woods Richardson Returns to Toronto
GettySimeon Woods Richardson of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Earlier this season, the Blue Jays acquired Simeon Woods Richardson from the Minnesota Twins after their pitching staff was decimated by injuries to start the campaign, and immediately he made an impact, showing why he was once considered such a promising prospect in Toronto.
However, with the team getting healthy, Woods Richardson made his way back to Triple-A, and there he’s been solid, posting a 4.07 ERA across 24.1 innings of work. Now, with the team looking to figure out their pitching staff, Woods Richardson has been returned to the MLB level according to Ben Nicholson-Smith, with the team optioning Lazaro Estrada, making way for the former top Blue Jays prospect.
While the numbers in Triple-A don’t look perfect, in limited opportunities with the Blue Jays this season, Woods Richardson was great, tallying an ERA of 0.00 through 10 innings of work in three appearances, allowing just four hits and striking out five hitters in that time.
Can Woods Richardson be a key Piece of Toronto’s Future?
Despite this success, the Blue Jays had to expose Woods Richardson to being picked up by a rival team, but clearly that didn’t happen, and now the expectation is that they will give him an extended opportunity out of the bullpen at the big league level.
While Toronto do have an outside shot at making the post-season in 2026, they’re now likely using the rest of the year to see who could be a key part of their roster for next season and beyond, and given that SWR is still just 25-years-old, keeping him around in the bullpen may be the best option for him and the team. As we’ve seen this season though, injuries and inconsistencies often change even the best Blue Jays plans, but if he can be even close to as good as he was earlier in the season, he can battle for the long-reliever role.
It took years for Woods Richardson to make his MLB debut with the Blue Jays after once being their top prospect, and while this latest move doesn’t guarantee him roster security, look for Toronto to give him every opportunity to succeed in the coming weeks.
Blue Jays Make Announcement on Simeon Woods Richardson