Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider announces rotation to start 2026 season
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Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider confirmed the club's starting rotation for the beginning of the 2026 season on Saturday, with Opening Day now less than a week away.
The Toronto Blue Jays will open the year with a five-man rotation consisting of Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Eric Lauer, Cody Ponce, and Max Scherzer, in that order.
Gausman had already been named the team's Opening Day starter earlier in spring training.
John Schneider confirming Blue Jays rotation to start the season:
Kevin Gausman
Dylan Cease
Eric Lauer
Cody Ponce
Max Scherzer
Kevin Gausman
Dylan Cease
Eric Lauer
Cody Ponce
Max Scherzer
Rotation will evolve as injured starters return from rehabilitation
However, the rotation remained in flux leading up to the season due to injuries to key arms, including Shane Bieber, José Berrios, and Trey Yesavage.
With the rotation now finalized, Gausman, Cease, and Lauer are scheduled to pitch in Toronto's opening series against the Oakland Athletics.
They will be followed by Ponce and Scherzer, who are set to start in the subsequent series against the Colorado Rockies.
If the rotation holds through the first few weeks, Scherzer, Gausman, and Cease would be lined up to face the Los Angeles Dodgers during a highly anticipated World Series rematch at Rogers Centre from April 6-8.
Schneider also noted that Lauer is expected to pitch in an intrasquad game on Monday, aiming for approximately five innings, according to Sportsnet's Shi Davidi.
Order for Blue Jays starters out the gate, per John Schneider: Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Eric Lauer, Cody Ponce, Max Scherzer. Lauer will start Monday's intrasquad game, looking for roughly five innings.
Meanwhile, both Scherzer and Ponce are slated to make another appearance in minor-league camp next week as Toronto wraps up its Grapefruit League schedule on Sunday.
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