Blue Jays report progress on injury front, discuss roster choices ahead of opener

TORONTO -- For one last day of calm inside Rogers Centre, which has sat eerily quiet since Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, the Blue Jays looked back and looked ahead.

After Toronto's final workouts ahead of Opening Day on Friday against the A’s at 7:07 p.m. ET, this is what you need to know:

1. “Very encouraging” news on Trey Yesavage
Both general manager Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider spoke very highly of Yesavage’s recent appearance in a Minor League game at the club’s complex in Dunedin, Fla. This was a clear change in tone on Yesavage, who has dealt with a right shoulder impingement. This could be just a matter of weeks now, which would be a major boost to the Blue Jays already.

2. More good news on Bieber, Berríos
Shane Bieber (right elbow inflammation) will throw off a mound this week, finally giving us a “Step 1” to chart out the rest of his rehab from. José Berríos, on the other hand, is fully prepared to throw through a stress fracture in his right elbow as long as he feels no pain, which he hasn’t yet.

All spring, the news on Toronto’s starters kept coming in bad, bad, bad. This burst of good news on the eve of the 2026 season is a relief.

3. Gausman, overdue
Hearing once again that this is Kevin Gausman’s first Opening Day start with the Blue Jays, Schneider interjected to joke: “Yeah, my bad.”

Schneider and Gausman’s teammates are thrilled the day has come, though.

“I’m very happy for him. He deserves that,” Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said through a club interpreter. “He’s the type of pitcher who goes every fifth day and gives you all he has. He’s a hard worker and respected by everyone in the clubhouse. I’m very happy for him. Well deserved.”

4. The love is mutual
Gausman is one of the greatest signings in Blue Jays history, and he's now entering his fifth and final year. He’s also one of this organization’s most vocal supporters.

“Me and my wife talk about it all the time. It’s the greatest decision we ever made, coming here,” Gausman said. “I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. My family has come to love Toronto, and Toronto has loved us back.”

5. Davis Schneider over Leo Jiménez
John Schneider made it clear to Davis Schneider that he has some things to work on, but it’s clear the Blue Jays need him.

“Davis has proven that he belongs here and was integral to last year’s success,” Atkins said. “We felt like he was too important to not have as part of every day’s game at this point.”

6. Handling roster decisions, person by person
Near the end of Spring Training, John Schneider stopped Myles Straw in the dugout to tell him he’d made the team, just in case he needed that reassurance. Straw thanked him.

• Here is the Blue Jays' Opening Day roster

“He was like, ‘You’ve seen my transaction log,’” Schneider said. “There’s a lot of crazy stuff that happens. You never really know what guys are thinking.”

7. Middle infield depth?
If Jiménez, who was designated for assignment Wednesday, is claimed, where would the Blue Jays turn next if there’s an injury?

“[Josh] Kasevich performed very well in Spring Training, and we do have some confidence in him,” Atkins said, “and we’ll be active in trying to acquire depth in that area, as well.”

8. Spencer Miles, Single-A to the big leagues
Atkins called the decision to roster Rule 5 Draft righty Spencer Miles “straightforward” because he fully earned it. Schneider sounds ready to give him some real opportunities, too.

“We’re talking delivery stuff, learning a new pitch in the slider and having shown a huge sense of awareness of his own stuff,” Schneider said. “If he can take another step forward, that stuff can translate into some big innings for us.”

9. ABS Management? Ask DeMarlo Hale
Every dugout will have the “ABS guy” who will be tasked with staying on top of challenges and when players should have that green light.

“You guys should see what DeMarlo has written down. He may know how much air is in your tires right now, it’s ridiculous,” Schneider said of the associate manager. “He has everything written down. He’s the guy floating up and down the dugout.”

10. Are the 2026 Blue Jays a better team?
Atkins didn’t hesitate:

“Yes. Without a doubt we feel that. We can understand why our fans don’t see it quite that clearly because of the subtraction of Bo Bichette, who is a very good player and will continue to be. Bolstering our pitching was a very clear goal and one we feel we accomplished in a significant way.”