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Being a starting pitcher is a hard enough job before you add in a nasty case of the flu.
Blue Jays starter Eric Lauer knows this, as that’s exactly what happened to him before his most recent start against the Chicago White Sox last Sunday.
“I got hit with it really hard, really quick,” Lauer told CBC News on Wednesday, detailing the aches, chills, fever and dehydration that came with it.
His start got pushed back by a day, and somehow, Lauer managed to throw two innings, giving his team what he could. He also tried to keep his distance from his teammates, several of whom, he said, have also been feeling ill.
The Blue Jays have been hit by both injuries and illness in the early days of this new season, hampering the team’s ability to get to where it wants to be — back at the top of the American League East division that Toronto won last year.
Ups and downs so far
Toronto started out the season 4-1, before losing six straight games and then coming up with its fifth win of the season Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the defending World Series champions.
Davis Schneider is doused in a celebratory gesture after the Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 at Toronto’s Rogers Centre on Wednesday. The win snapped a six-game losing streak for the Blue Jays. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)
That leaves the Blue Jays with a 5-7 record after 12 games, with 150 left to play.
For fans who might be panicking, that’s only two games off from the 7-5 record Toronto had last year at this point in the season. The Blue Jays finished the regular season with a 94-68 record and followed that up with a trip to the World Series.
But it’s precisely because of the season Toronto had in 2025 that there’s so much more attention on where the team’s at now.
On the illness front, Lauer is not the only Blue Jays’ pitcher to have been feeling rough in recent days.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman wasn’t 100 per cent when pitching against the Dodgers at Toronto’s Rogers Centre on Tuesday night.
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman is seen throwing a pitch during the first inning of his start against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Rogers Centre on Tuesday night. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)
“I’ve pitched feeling worse than that before,” Gausman said Wednesday, the day after he struck out five batters across five and one-third innings of work, giving up six hits, two walks and three earned runs.
But Gausman said he’s “a firm believer” that starting pitchers like himself have to be ready to pitch when called upon.
“Sometimes it looks better than others, for sure, but you’ve got to find a way,” said Gausman, who estimated that at least five Blue Jays pitchers have been sick.
Then there are the injuries plaguing the starters: Shane Bieber, José BerrÃos and Trey Yesavage have yet to pitch in a big-league game this year, though they will be coming back.
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Cody Ponce suffered a season-altering injury to his right knee in his first start for the Jays, which has necessitated a surgical fix. He may miss the entire year.
Fellow pitcher Bowden Francis won’t pitch in 2026 either, as a result of UCL reconstruction, also known as Tommy John surgery.
More recently, veteran starter Max Scherzer revealed he’d been dealing with forearm tendinitis “for a couple of weeks.” But he’s avoided the injured list to date.
Not just the pitchers
Toronto has also seen multiple injuries among its position players.
Starting catcher Alejandro Kirk is going to be out for weeks, after fracturing his thumb in the recent series against the White Sox.
Toronto Blue Jays catcher Brandon Valenzuela and closer Jeff Hoffman celebrate the team’s 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Rogers Centre on Wednesday. Valenzuela is one of the catchers handling duties behind the plate while Alejandro Kirk recovers from injury. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)
That’s left backup catcher Tyler Heineman and recent callup Brandon Valenzuela sharing duties behind the plate while he’s out.
That same series also saw utility player Addison Barger hurt his ankle running to first base. He’s on the 10-day injured list, as a result.
Barger, a capable third baseman and outfielder, has been roaming in right field in the games he’s played so far this year. The Blue Jays have a surplus of talented outfielders, leaving the ball club with multiple options to fill in.
Outfielder Anthony Santander is expected to miss nearly the entire season while he recovers from shoulder surgery. His injury prompted the team to trade for Jesús Sánchez to provide additional power to the lineup.