The Toronto Blue Jays have been improving as of late, and after a back-to-back series wins over the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, this is a team that’s showing they can be a true Wild Card squad down the stretch in 2026.
Much of that success has coincided with the team getting healthy, especially the bullpen, and after some moves at the trade deadline, this is now an organization that appears to be on the same page once again. Now, they’ve received even more good news, with a recently DFA’d reliever officially clearing waivers, giving them more and more depth throughout the organization as their post-season push continues.
Lazaro Estrada Officially Clears Waivers
GettyLazaro Estrada of the Toronto Blue Jays.
That pitcher would be 27-year-old reliever Lazaro Estrada, who is in the midst of his second big league season with the Blue Jays, but after failing to dominate in his role, the team made the clear call to designate him for assigment.
What that means is that to keep him within the organization, Estrada would need to clear waivers, and after a tense wait, the Blue Jays have found out his fate, as he has officially passed through waivers and will now report to Triple-A Buffalo.
This is great news for a Blue Jays organization that all of a sudden has more relief options than they know what to do with, and given how the pitching staff as a whole has performed since the All-Star break, things are looking up once again for Toronto.
As for Estrada, he’s had a good opportunity at the big league level this season, and in eight appearances he has posted a 5.54 ERA across 13.0 innings of work, but given how high-stakes everything is for the Blue Jays moving forward, there just wasn’t too much room for him on the roster right now.
Can the Blue Jays Clinch a Wild Card Spot?
Since their series with the Washington Nationals, the Blue Jays have now won six straight full series, and as a result, on Monday they find themselves sitting just one game out of the final Wild Card spot in the American League, and after how hot they got in 2025, this is an organization that clearly knows how to ride that momentum a long way.
Their team in 2025 was much deeper and much more well rounded, but in 2026 they’ve still got plenty of high end talent, and with this pitching staff going the way that they are, no team wants to see them in the post-season.
For now, all things are looking up, and with the team finally closing in on truly getting healthy, if they can keep building on what they’ve done series after series, this is a team that will definitely be contending for a post-season spot late in September.
Blue Jays Officially Learn the Fate of 27-Year-Old Reliever