The Toronto Blue Jays have one of the most talented rosters in all of baseball, but through the combination of injuries and inconsistent play from their stars, this is a team that’s just failed to maintain any semblance of momentum throughout the 2026 campaign.
On Saturday, the team had the opportunity to start the second-half on the right foot, but after falling 12-4 to the Chicago White Sox, they now sit at 45-52 on the season, putting them 3.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot in the American League. There’s still time for this team to finally get clicking, but they’re running out of time ahead of the trade deadline, and now they’ve made two major roster changes as they look to spark their season.
Blue Jays Recall two Relievers; Brendon Little Returns
GettyBrendon Little of the Toronto Blue Jays.
One place the team have struggled especially for health is the pitching staff, as the team have had to run four and even three man rotations throughout the year, with the bullpen being one of the most used in all of baseball this season. As a result, they’ve had to be smart about how they use their roster moves throughout 2026, and now they’ve made two major changes ahead of perhaps the most important stretch of their 2026 campaign.
According to reports from Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling, the team are recalling both Brendon Little and Lazaro Estrada from Triple-A, with the team wanting to get some length in their bullpen with both Spencer Miles and Shane Bieber struggling to give them that in the rotation as of late.
Adam Macko and CJ Van Eyk optioned to make room. Club needed length and wants to give Macko a chance to reset following a tough stretch
In a corresponding move, both Adam Macko and CJ Van Eyk have been optioned to the minor leagues, and while the Alberta native Macko showed immense promise early in his career, his production has started to dip immensely in recent times.
The Time is now for the 2026 Toronto Blue Jays
Little is the biggest name coming back to the big leagues in this move, as he was optioned early in the season after his struggles had the entire fanbase calling for his demotion, but in Triple-A, he’s shown why he was so highly thought of in Toronto before this season. In 30 appearances this season, Little has posted a 2.53 ERA across 32.0 innings of work, and now, he’s got the chance to bounce back after he posted a 27.00 ERA over just 4.2 innings, giving up a ridiculous 14 earned runs in that time.
On top of that, the team will look to get some production from Estrada as well, with the 27-year-old posting a 4.05 ERA across 20.0 innings between the A and AAA level, as he’ll likely pitch in low leverage situations with the Jays hoping to get Yimi Garcia healthy again in the near future.
Simply put, the time is now for hte Blue Jays to start their momentum again if they want to have any hopes of sustained success in 2026, and while the return of Little and Estrada won’t be the driving force behind that, if they can play a role while their stars find momentum, this team still have a chance in the Wild Card race.
Blue Jays Make two Changes; Recall Polarizing Fourth-Year Reliever