The Toronto Blue Jays will use Braydon Fisher to open against the New York Yankees on Thursday, May 21, followed by Spencer Miles, with Keegan Matheson of MLB.com sharing the news, among others.
Fisher is making his second start of the season. The right-hander has a 3.08 ERA across 24 appearances. Miles has operated as a multi-inning reliever for most of the campaign. He tossed a season-high 3.2 innings behind reliever Mason Fluharty in his most recent outing, which came against the Detroit Tigers.
Toronto is looking to salvage a series split against New York after dropping the first two contests of the set. Right-hander Trey Yesavage delivered six scoreless innings on Wednesday, May 20, to lead the Blue Jays to a 2-1 victory.
Toronto Blue Jays News Update: Braydon Fisher to Start Against New York Yankees
The Blue Jays struggled in the first two games of the 2025 American League Divisional Series. Toronto fumbled away the first matchup on Monday, May 18, by collapsing in the seventh inning. Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr. launched home runs to turn a two-run deficit into a lead against reliever Yariel Rodriguez. Struggling closer David Bednar permitted a run in the ninth inning, but slammed the door to secure the win.
Ace right-hander Dylan Cease faltered in the second game of the series. The $210 million man allowed five earned runs over five innings on Tuesday, May 19, against a difficult Yankees lineup. Cease did manage nine strikeouts, but wasn’t able to keep the ball in the yard. Ryan McMahon tagged him for a three-run homer in the fourth inning. Ben Rice followed with a two-run blast in the fifth inning. The Blue Jays once again made some noise in the ninth inning, scoring off substitute closer Camilo Doval, but failed to push the tying run across in the final frame.
Fisher will be tasked with navigating the toughest portion of New York’s order. Ben Rice has a massive .260 ISO and a .386 wOBA vs. right-handed pitching this season. Reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge has been even better, posting a .328 ISO and a .444 wOBA against righties this year. Fisher will then have to deal with Bellinger and Chisholm, who possess plenty of power from the left side.
Spencer Miles Emerging as Reliable Option for Blue Jays
Toronto added Miles through the Rule 5 draft. He came over from the San Francisco Giants organization. Miles was a fourth-round draft pick back in 2022. Injuries had limited him to just 15 professional appearances over four seasons heading into this year.
Miles has a strong 2.55 ERA in 13 outings with the Blue Jays. He has a solid 23% strikeout rate to go with a decent 7.0% walk rate. The underlying numbers support Miles’ production. He has a 3.24 xFIP and a 3.20 SIERA through 24.2 innings. Miles maxed out at two innings in 10 of his first 11 appearances. Toronto has stretched him out in recent outings. He tossed three scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, May 10. Miles reached a career-high 56 pitches over 3.2 frames against the Tigers in his most recent game. He should be close to a normal starter’s workload vs. the Yankees.
Blue Jays Announce Pitching Plans for Game Against Yankees