Veteran left-hander Eric Lauer was critical of the Toronto Blue Jays for how they handled his usage in the 2025 season, but recent injury news could thrust him back into the starting rotation with Opening Day just over a week away.
Lauer is “firmly in the mix to be in the rotation,” manager John Schneider told reporters, including Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. The comment came after the revelation that right-hander Jose Berrios is dealing with a fractured elbow and will be on the injured list to open the regular season.
It’s quite the turn of events for Lauer, who seemed to be ticketed for the same long relief gig that drew his ire last season and potentially cost him money this year. The lefty publicly stated he lost his arbitration case due to being shuttled from the rotation to the bullpen in 2025. Lauer submitted for $5.75 million in the arbitration process, while the team filed for $4.4 million. The veteran lost his case and will make the lesser figure in 2026. Lauer is heading to free agency after this season.
Eric Lauer Back in the Starting Rotation Conversation for the Toronto Blue Jays After Critical Comments
Lauer has maintained all offseason that he views himself as a starting pitcher. He made a solid case for himself in 2025, going 6-1 with a 3.65 ERA as a starter. Despite the success, Lauer lost his rotation spot after Shane Bieber returned from injury. The emergence of exciting rookie Trey Yesavage also contributed to Lauer getting squeezed out. The lefty remained effective as a reliever, delivering a 3.00 ERA over a dozen innings after the role change.
When the postseason rolled around, Lauer remained in the bullpen, where he continued to pitch well. The lefty allowed three earned runs over 8.2 innings as Toronto made it all the way to the World Series. Lauer picked up a hold in Game 2 of the American League Divisional Series against the New York Yankees. He stumbled into a starter-level workload in Game 3 of the World Series, posting 4.2 scoreless frames in a marathon 18-inning loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Toronto was active in the starting pitching market this offseason. The club landed Dylan Cease on a massive seven-year, $210 million contract. The Blue Jays also added Cody Ponce and brought back Max Scherzer. Berrios himself wasn’t in the rotation to close 2025 due to injury, but was expected to regain his spot this year.
Does Lauer Deserve a Spot in the Blue Jays’ Rotation?
It’s been a rocky spring for Lauer. He’s been rocked for eight earned runs across 8.2 innings. Lauer has made four starts in Spring Training while slowly building up his workload. He got up to 3.1 innings and 60 pitches last time out. The increasing volume suggests he’s stretched out enough to operate as a starter.
Toronto signed Lauer after he spent the 2024 season pitching in Korea. He notched a career-best 3.18 ERA across 104.2 innings in the 2025 campaign. Free passes have plagued Lauer at times as a big leaguer, but he trimmed his walk rate to a career-low 6.1% last year. He certainly showed enough upside to be considered a starter in 2026.
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