English
EspañolDUNEDIN, Fla. – Dylan Cease has been wearing Blue Jays colours for a few weeks now, but Saturday marked his first official spring training action and the debut went according to plan.
The right-hander completed 1.2 innings while striking out three, allowing a Bryan De La Cruz home run and averaging 97.4 m.p.h. with his fastball.
“Pretty ideal,” Cease said. “Definitely a lot of positives.”
At this point in spring, he’s focused on repeating his delivery so his location can be as precise as possible. He estimates that he’s already 80 per cent of the way to where he should be mechanically, with some fine-tuning ahead over the coming weeks.
“But I feel really optimistic with where I’m at,” Cease said.
Behind the scenes, the 30-year-old has enjoyed his first few weeks in Blue Jays camp since he’s been able to get to know his new teammates on the defending American League champs.
“A lot of that is trying to assimilate and just do my job, really. Not make it about myself,” Cease said. “It’s been great. I feel like we’re bonding well. We like each other. It’s been a lot of fun.”
But while Cease was in the spotlight Saturday, there are countless intriguing stories unfolding with less fanfare. Here’s a closer look at a few of them, starting with the team’s rotation:
Berrios bounces back
While Cease was pitching in Dunedin, Fla., Jose Berrios was facing the Yankees a short drive away in Tampa, Fla. At a time when most starting pitchers are content to pitch an inning or two, Berrios completed four innings on 54 pitches without allowing a hit or a run.
Now, results don’t matter this time of year, but it’s worth noting that Berrios had more velocity Saturday than he did in his spring debut against the Mets. After averaging 91.9 m.p.h. on his four-seam fastball Monday, he was up to 93.1 m.p.h. against a Yankees lineup featuring Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and most of New York’s regulars.
This was a step in the right direction for Berrios, who’s now way ahead of most pitchers with four weeks to go before opening day.
Gasuman easing in
Speaking of Blue Jays starters, Kevin Gausman’s spring debut went according to plan this week with three strikeouts in his first inning of work. Including the post-season, Gausman led all MLB pitchers in innings, pitches, batters faced and starts last year, so there’s no need to overdo it this spring. But if he adds an inning per outing over the course of five starts, he’ll be where he needs to be when the season begins — perhaps with his first-ever Opening Day start against the Athletics on March 27.
“He’s about as low-maintenance and low-key as you can get,” manager John Schneider said. “He’s been our workhorse, our ace.”
Meanwhile, Shane Bieber doesn’t have immediate plans to get off a mound and Trey Yesavage will be eased into spring training action while Max Scherzer is expected to arrive in Blue Jays camp Sunday or Monday. There are a lot of moving pieces here – so many that opposing teams look at the mix and wonder how it’ll all fit together – but more options will only help, especially after a season in which the Blue Jays played an extra month.
Springer feeling healthy
George Springer took a beating as the 2025 post-season unfolded, but he says he was able to get his body “back underneath” him over the winter, and he’s not especially inclined to reflect back on the knee, side and wrist issues that he dealt with late last year.
“It doesn’t matter what’s wrong with you or if you feel good or not,” said Springer, now 36. “There isn’t a guy on the field who feels good at that point in the year, so it doesn’t really matter.”
Springer says he’s throwing more comfortably than he did last year and is ready to contribute in the outfield again as needed. And after posting career highs in batting average (.309) and on-base percentage (.399) last year, there’s no doubt that the offensive changes he made last year can work.
“Spring training means absolutely nothing for a guy like him,” Schneider said. “So we’re just looking for him to take some aggressive swings and be on time (at the plate).”
Schreck pulling closer
The area where the Blue Jays might have the most organizational depth is outfield, and that’s partly thanks to RJ Schreck, the left-handed hitting 25-year-old who joined the Blue Jays in exchange for Justin Turner back in 2024. Multiple Blue Jays people have gone out of their way to praise Shreck, who hit 18 home runs with a .249/.395/.459 batting line in 105 games spent mostly in the upper minors last year. Schneider has been particularly impressed with the outfielder’s self-awareness and communication with the coaching staff.
If things go well, he could bring a Nathan Lukes-like profile to the team – that is, a strong side platoon hitter who holds his own at all three outfield positions. And speaking of position player depth, shortstop Josh Kasevich has been impressing team decision makers, too.
Rodriguez must attack
When the Blue Jays took Yariel Rodriguez off the 40-man roster this winter, it was a clear sign they weren’t thrilled with his performance. They’d love to see him bounce back and contribute to the 2026 team, as opportunity will surely emerge throughout the season. As of now, though, he’s not attacking within the strike zone enough to have a great shot of breaking camp with the team.
Rule 5 intrigue
Elsewhere in the bullpen mix, Rule 5 picks Spencer Miles and Angel Bastardo will get more chances to show the Blue Jays they have big-league-ready command along with big velocity.
“The stuff is there with both of those guys,” Schneider said. “They’re flashing stuff (that shows) the reason we acquired them. They’ve got to stay healthy and as we get closer, they’ve got to tighten a few things up, but so far so good.”
Of course, making the team as a Rule 5 selection is a challenge for any player, especially one on a contending team like the Blue Jays. But being on the 40-man roster with big velocity is at least a start.
Roster reminder
The opening day roster always gets extra attention, and rightfully so. But it’s worth remembering the active roster changes weekly and the main purpose of the Opening Day roster is to set the Blue Jays up for success in their first games of the year
— that is, against the Athletics. If a roster battle is close, some consideration should probably be given to what the A’s will do. We’re a long way from that point, but hypothetically, that might mean taking an extra lefty reliever to neutralize lefty bats like Nick Kurtz, Tyler Soderstrom, Jeff McNeil and Lawrence Butler.
