The Toronto Blue Jays designated pitcher Eric Lauer for assignment May 11 after a disastrous start to his season.

Lauer, who was instrumental in the Blue Jays’ run to Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, was 1-5 with a 6.69 ERA through his first eight games (six starts) of 2026.

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The Blue Jays needed to make a 40-man roster move to accommodate the promotion of pitcher Yariel Rodriguez. The Cuban right-hander had a 2.63 ERA in 11 games at Triple-A Buffalo, after being outrighted off their MLB roster in December 2025.

Toronto made another roster swap on May 11. Outfielder Addison Barger injured his right elbow making a clutch throw in the Blue Jays’ May 9 win over the Los Angeles Angels. He was placed on the 10-day injured list, and rookie outfielder Yohendrick Piñango was recalled from Buffalo.

Barger ripped off a 101.2-mph throw from right field to home plate to retire Jorge Soler at home plate in the second inning of the Blue Jays’ eventual victory against the Angels. It was the fastest recorded throw by a Blue Jays outfielder in the brief history of Statcast.

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Piñango, who was hitting .423 in his first MLB cup of coffee, had been optioned to Buffalo a day earlier when Barger returned from an ankle injury. It was no surprise to see him return on short notice.

Lauer’s demotion was somewhat of a surprise. In October 2025, he allowed three runs while recording only one out in Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees.

From then on, Lauer was lights-out. He made four appearances out of the Blue Jays’ bullpen and did not allow a run. That included 4.2-inning relief appearance in the marathon Game 3 of the World Series, which lasted 18 innings.

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Lauer is a veteran of eight major league seasons with the Blue Jays (2025-26), Milwaukee Brewers (2020-23) and San Diego Padres (2018-19). He’s 46-44 with a 4.26 ERA (97 ERA+) toggling back and forth between the bullpen and rotation at each of his stops.

This season, however, Lauer had allowed 11 home runs, the most of any MLB pitcher. Despite injuries to starters Shane Bieber, Jose Berríos, Max Scherzer and Cody Ponce, the Blue Jays didn’t want to prolong Lauer’s misery.