Toronto Blue Jays are finally getting respect, here are the reasons why

After missing out on the big fish in free agency for the second consecutive year, it seemed entering the season that the questions facing Toronto this summer would be about the future of Ross Atkins as GM and whether or not they'd need to trade Vladimir Guerrero Jr. before the deadline.

A resurgent season from George Springer, a career year for Alejandro Kirk, and the breakout of Addison Barger have come together to help push this club to the top of a competitive AL East, however, and with both Guerrero and Kirk locked up long term the Jays should be looking towards brighter days in the future, as well.

With 55 victories and a two-game cushion atop the American League East, the Toronto Blue Jays are on track for a worst-to-first rebound this season.

Never mind the wild-card series. The Blue Jays are aiming for a top-two finish in the AL standings and a direct berth in the divisional round.

Entering Friday's series opener against the visiting San Francisco Giants, Toronto is just one game behind the West Division-leading Houston Astros and 3 1/2 games behind the Central Division-leading Detroit Tigers.

The wild-card series has not been kind to Toronto in recent years. The Blue Jays, who missed the playoffs with a 74-88 record last season, were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays (2020), Seattle Mariners (2022) and Minnesota Twins (2023) in their last three post-season appearances.

Toronto hasn't won a playoff game since reaching the AL Championship Series in 2016.

After a mediocre start to the season, the Blue Jays have come on strong over the last two months.

Toronto has posted a 39-21 record (.650 winning percentage) since May 8 and has led the major leagues in several offensive categories over that stretch.

The Blue Jays have won 13 of their last 17 games and 29 of their last 42.

Addison Barger is second on the team with 13 homers while Lukes is hitting .276 with a .371 OBP. Clement has a .288 average and offers strong defence with positional versatility.

Eric Lauer, meanwhile, has become a reliable member of the starting rotation. With a 4-2 record and 2.78 ERA, the journeyman southpaw helped filled the void when Max Scherzer was out with a thumb issue.

Brendon Little (4-1, 2.03 ERA) leads the squad with 45 appearances and has held opponents to a .184 average.

Bounce-back seasons from George Springer (.270 BA, 16 homers, 53 RBIs) and Bo Bichette (.282 BA, 12 homers, 53 RBIs) have helped restore some pop to Toronto's offence.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who signed a 14-year, US$500-million extension in April, has been steady if unspectacular while Alejandro Kirk has blossomed in a full-time catcher role.

Those successes have helped mitigate some of the challenges the team has faced due to injury and underperformance.

Slugger Anthony Santander (shoulder) struggled mightily before landing on the injured list.

The Blue Jays could get a boost as early as next month if right-hander Alek Manoah (elbow surgery) continues his progression after elbow surgery. He finished third in AL Cy Young Award voting in 2022.

Toronto will close out its six-game homestand next week with a big three-game series against the second-place New York Yankees.

That will be followed by a four-game set in Detroit against the Tigers, who lead the major leagues at 59-38.

Blue Jays fans will also be keen to see if general manager Ross Atkins can swing some deals ahead of the MLB trade deadline on July 31.

Toronto will close out its regular season on Sept. 28 against Tampa Bay.

The Blue Jays have an 83.4-per cent chance of making the playoffs, per FanGraphs projections.

FanGraphs gives Toronto a 37.1-per cent chance of winning the East and a 4.6-per cent shot at winning its first World Series title since 1993.