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The Toronto Blue Jays used an opener in front of Eric Lauer again on Sunday, and while Lauer has expressed his displeasure with that, he also hasn't pitched his way into a bigger role.
After a strong 2025, Lauer has been rough in 2026, and the Blue Jays likely can't wait for their roster to get healthy so they don't have to rely on him as much.
His ERA for the season is 6.69, and it's not fluky. Lauer is getting hit around almost every time he takes the mound.
The reality, as Blue Jays analyst @Damon98_ explains in a post on X, is that Toronto expected this and tried to plan against it:
The Toronto Blue Jays took Eric Lauer to arbitration over $1.1 million. They also signed a bunch of starters, including 42 year old Max Scherzer to ensure Lauer didn't find his way into the rotation. They've now used openers for him twice.
They told you what they think of him.
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The Blue Jays wanted to pay Lauer as little as they could.
They also bulked up their rotation depth with Scherzer even after signing Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce.
Toronto wanted pitching to be one of its strengths, and there clearly wasn't a belief that Lauer would be a huge part of that.
Then all of a sudden, everyone seemed to get hurt at once, and Lauer was back in a major role.
It seems like his roster spot could be in major jeopardy if injury returns can eventually happen, although there's a lot of uncertainty still around the returns of the likes of Shane Bieber, Jose Berrios and Scherzer.
The Blue Jays probably don't want to be stuck with these struggling Lauer outings much longer, though. They already saw his coming.
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