Lineup changes are a daily occurrence for the Blue Jays, but Tuesday’s decision to move Teoscar Hernández up to third in the order is indicative of something bigger from manager Charlie Montoyo.

This isn’t about mixing and matching or spreading out reps, but about taking a more aggressive approach after a 3-4 start that the Blue Jays, to a man, think should have gone much better.

“We’re not playing 162 games this year. We’re playing 60 games, or 50-something now,” Montoyo said prior to the game against the Braves. “I want to give him four or five at-bats [each game], so that’s why I did that.”

Hernández has been the Blue Jays’ best hitter through their first seven games, launching four home runs in Washington last week. The strikeout numbers are still there -- and they might always be -- but when Hernández is barreling up the baseball consistently, his natural power is a game-changing tool.

Montoyo also likes this lineup look because it gives him three hitters at the top who can run in Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio and Hernández. Following them are Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., which is the other side of this story.

While Hernández has burst out of the gates, Guerrero has stumbled. His need to hit fewer balls on the ground was one of the most important stories entering 2020, but he’s carried over that troubling trend. Guerrero’s hits will come -- he’s simply too talented for them not to -- but this move for Montoyo is an encouraging one in that it places the competitiveness of today over the development of tomorrow. In a shortened season, that’s needed.

“It was more about the guy who’s swinging the bat good, and that’s Teoscar,” Montoyo said. “That means I’ve got to move somebody down. Gurriel goes down one, then Vladdy goes down one. It was more about Teoscar than about Vladdy.”

Expect to see Montoyo continue to tinker with his lineup, but Hernández in the three hole sounds like it’s here to stay.

Grichuk’s back and believing
Randal Grichuk returned to the lineup after dealing with back tightness, and he is another piece who should give the Blue Jays some lineup consistency. The Blue Jays haven’t been “home” since the season started, which is a challenge other clubs aren’t facing. Grichuk called Monday in Atlanta “the longest off-day ever” as he stayed in his hotel room, but now the focus shifts back to the field, where he echoed his teammates.

“I don’t think one guy in the clubhouse doesn’t think we’re making the playoffs this year,” Grichuk said. “We’re confident in our ability and we have a deep lineup. I can’t stress it enough -- we’re excited.”

Ryu staying on schedule
The Blue Jays prioritized keeping ace Hyun Jin Ryu on a regular schedule coming out of the weekend break. This allows him to stay on his regular throwing program heading into his Wednesday start, which doesn’t typically include side sessions, as Ryu explained.

“On five or six days' rest, which this would fall under, I don’t like to go on the mound,” Ryu said. “If it was longer than that, maybe seven or eight days of rest, I would prefer being on the mound.”

Extras
• Travis Shaw was activated from family medical leave on Tuesday and is with the club, but he hasn’t done much baseball activity over the past week-plus. He’s available on an emergency basis for the opener in Atlanta, then will be eased back in. He took live BP on Tuesday.

• Tanner Roark threw live BP on Tuesday after Trent Thornton threw to live hitters on Sunday. Both will have extended breaks between starts after the postponed Phillies series over the weekend, which is why those sessions were built in.

• Chase Anderson (oblique) will be activated at some point in Atlanta, but it’s not clear which role he’ll fill. Montoyo mentioned a variety of options, including starting in a six-man rotation or “following” a starter in a piggyback role.