The Toronto Blue Jays’ roster crunch has arrived.
Prior to Monday’s series opener, the Blue Jays announced that outfielder Nathan Lukes was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. In a corresponding move, utilityman Davis Schneider was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo.
Schneider, 27, has struggled to a .127/.295/.211 slash line with 31 strikeouts in 89 plate appearances this season. The versatile right-handed hitter has only been optioned one other time since his debut in 2023, appearing in 290 major league games over the past four seasons.
Last April, Schneider was sent down after opening the season in a 1-for-15 slump. He spent the next six weeks in Triple-A, but after being recalled in June, he batted .249/.364/.468 with 11 home runs and a 135 wRC+ over 206 plate appearances. The righty bat went on to post a .733 OPS in the postseason and even led off Game 5 of the World Series with a first-pitch home run.
Schneider’s latest demotion means left-handed hitter Yohendrick Piñango will remain on the big league roster. The 24-year-old rookie has been red hot at the plate, batting .313/.352/.418 with one home run and 10 RBIs through his first 71 plate appearances.
With Lukes replacing Schneider, the outfield now has four left-handed hitters, with Myles Straw serving as the lone right-handed bat. The move also leaves Lenyn Sosa as the Blue Jays' only reserve infielder.
Lukes, 31, has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since April 24. The veteran outfielder had been one of Toronto’s hottest hitters prior to his stint on the injured list, recording 11 hits in his last 21 at-bats after battling vertigo. He owns a .250/.286/.327 slash line with eight RBIs in 20 games this season.
Before being activated, Lukes went 3-for-9 with one home run and three RBIs in four rehab contests. He will start in center field and bat second for the Blue Jays in his return Monday night against the Miami Marlins.
