The Toronto Blue Jays are having a solid run at the end of the 2026 season. They have just concluded their Cleveland Guardians series with a 6-3 victory on Thursday afternoon, while Ty France and the San Diego Padres prepare to play the New York Yankees.
Nathan Lukes and Brett Bateman led the offense on Thursday in their finale against the Guardians. Meanwhile, veterans like Kazuma Okamoto and George Springer took a rest day.
The victory puts them 0.5 games back of the final AL Wild Card position. On Friday, September 4th, they begin a series against the Kansas City Royals.
Former Toronto Blue Jays Player Having Surprising Power Outburst
France is one former Blue Jays player who is enjoying quite the season.
In 114 games, France has collected 107 hits, 17 doubles, two triples, 62 RBIs, one stolen base, and 20 home runs. That is a bizarre stat line to see for a player who wasn’t a lineup regular during his tenure with Toronto.
The 32-year-old is having a resurgence. According to Fangraphs, he has a 3.1 WAR. The only Padres player with a higher WAR is Fernando Tatis Jr.
France signed with the Padres on February 15th, 2026.
Ty France Could Have Helped the 2026 Toronto Blue Jays
Surprisingly, France could have helped out the 2026 edition of the Blue Jays a ton.
For starters, 20 home runs is a healthy amount of power to have in your lineup. The only Blue Jays batter with more home runs than France is Okamoto (who wasn’t in the lineup on Thursday). The next closest is Springer with 14 home runs.
Additionally, France’s WAR is higher than any Blue Jays batter’s.
The top five Blue Jays batters for WAR are Andres Gimenez (2.6), Okamoto (2.3), Alejandro Kirk (2.1), Brandon Valenzuela (1.8), and Lukes (1.5).
Between the lack of production from Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Springer, and losing Addison Barger to injury, the Blue Jays have missed a power bat something fierce.
Ty France’s Time With the Blue Jays
France did not spend much time with the Blue Jays.
Prior to electing free agency on November 2nd, 2025, he played 38 games for the Blue Jays. In those games, he recorded 26 hits, eight RBIs, and one home run.
That’s a far cry from the numbers he is putting up this year.
Regardless of his time with the Blue Jays, it’s good to see a depth player find their footing on the right team and in the right situation.
Ex-Toronto Blue Jays Player Finds Surprising Power With New MLB Team