Pair of former Blue Jays return to Toronto

Former boisterous fan favourite Rowdy Tellez will be making a return to the stadium where he made his major league debut. Although he has appeared in thirteen games for the M's, he is off to a bit of a rough start, hitting just .111 with one home run and four RBIs.

Tellez instantly became a beloved member of the Blue Jays when he made his debut in 2018. Though he ended up playing parts of four years in Toronto, his progress slowed after Vladdy shifted to first base for the 2020 season.

He was traded to Milwaukee - in a deal that netted the Jays Bowden Francis - where he spent three seasons, before spending last year with Pittsburgh.

If Tellez was a fan favourite, then Trent Thornton was just the opposite. A favourite target of derision among the Blue Jays fanbase, Thornton had a couple of good seasons after being acquired from the Astros. However, he could never find consistent success and was traded to Seattle in 2023 for Mason McCoy.

It appears that Seattle has won that trade. In 2024, Thornton went 4-3 with a 3.61 ERA in 71 games, picking up 10 holds as well as his first major league save.

There are two other players of note.

While not on the active roster, former Jays reliever Tayler Saucedo is currently in Triple-A Tacoma after being optioned following a rough start to the year. In his two seasons with Seattle however, he has gone 5-2 with a 3.55 ERA and four saves in 105 games.

While he doesn't have a Blue Jays connection, Canadian Matt Brash is also on the 40-man, though currently on the IL and unlikely to activated during the series.