The Toronto Blue Jays are still looking for traction at the halfway point of the 2026 season. Wednesday’s 3-1 loss to the Houston Astros dropped Toronto to 39-41, though the club remains third in the American League East. The Blue Jays have been inconsistent for much of the year and will try to steady things Thursday night when they open a four-game series against the Texas Rangers at Rogers Centre.
This stretch has been particularly frustrating because Toronto entered 2026 coming off a breakthrough 2025 season in which it won the AL East at 94-68, captured the American League pennant and reached the World Series for the first time since 1993. That run raised expectations around a group still trying to rediscover that level this season.
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Before Thursday’s first pitch, Toronto announced a major honor for its manager. The Blue Jays revealed that John Schneider will manage the American League team at the 2026 MLB All-Star Game, with the club’s coaching staff joining him in Philadelphia.
Schneider is the first Blue Jays manager to receive that honor since Cito Gaston in 1994.
Under MLB’s format, the managers of the previous season’s pennant winners lead the All-Star teams, which is why Schneider gets the assignment after guiding Toronto to the AL title in 2025.
The Blue Jays signed Schneider to a two-year extension in March that runs through the 2028 season.
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Since taking over in 2022, Schneider has compiled a 342-298 record and led Toronto to three postseason appearances. He also earned a second-place finish in AL Manager of the Year voting last season.
The Blue Jays could also have several players represented in the All-Star game. In the second fan voting update, Ernie Clement led all American League second basemen with 2,054,130 votes, while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. remained first among AL first basemen with 1,458,461. Andrés Giménez was running second among AL shortstops with 894,926 votes.
