Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays placed RHP Julian Merryweather on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain. (Source: Ben Nicholson-Smith on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Merryweather was thought to have a hip issue as of last night, but now it's being diagnosed as an oblique strain. It's not an ideal situation for someone with a history of injuries. Jordan Romano could wind up regaining the closer's role in light of this news, though Rafael Dolis could be in the mix for saves as well.

Blue Jays RHP Ross Stripling has been scratched from Wednesday's start against the Yankees. (Source: Ben Wagner on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: No word yet as to why, but fantasy managers playing in daily leagues should be sure to remove Stripling from starting lineups.

Cavan Biggio went 2-for-4 at the plate with two strikeouts on Tuesday night as the Blue Jays beat the Yankees by a 7-3 score.

Fantasy Impact: Biggio has not had a good start to the season going 6-for-36 with 13 strikeouts. The 26-year-old infielder is starting the year at third base and will need to start hitting or will start to lose at bats.

Bo Bichette went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored on Tuesday night as the Blue Jays beat the Yankees by a 7-3 score.

Fantasy Impact: After a slow start to the season, Bichette has a 10-game hitting streak to bring his batting average to .295. The 23-year-old shortstop also has two home runs, nine runs scored, eight RBI and a steal over 11 games.

Marcus Semien went 1-for-4 at the plate with a solo home run and a walk during Tuesday's win over the Yankees by a 7-3 score.

Fantasy Impact: Semien is now hitting is hitting .213 with a .288 on-base-percentage with four home runs, seven runs scored, six RBI and two steals across 11 games. The veteran infielder has moved to second base in his first season with the Jays and is worth owning in most fantasy formats.

Rowdy Tellez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Tuesday's win over the Yankees by a 7-3 score.

Fantasy Impact: Tellez has been ice cold to start the season and is hitting just .069 with a .129 on base percentage over 31 plate appearances. Tellez may be starting to heat up and his buy low window may be closing.

Hyun Jin Ryu (1-1) earned the win Tuesday after holding the Yankees to one run on four hits and a walk while striking out seven across 6 2/3 innings.

Fantasy Impact: Ryu has looked good to start the season and over three starts, the veteran starter has a 1.89 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 19/2 K/BB ratio over 19 innings. Ryu will go up against the Royals in his next scheduled start.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer, who's dealing with a quad strain, took batting practice recently but won't join the Blue Jays on their upcoming road trip. (Source: Ben Nicholson-Smith on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: This piece of news likely means that Springer won’t be activated before the Blue Jays return home (Dunedin, FL) on April 27. It's a good sign that he took batting practice on Tuesday, which suggests he's totally healed from his oblique strain but the Grade 2 quad strain is still hampering him. Fantasy managers will need to remain patient a little longer.

Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernandez tested positive for COVID-19, per Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo. He is showing symptoms but "doing better" and will now be out for at least 10 more days. (Source: Ben Nicholson-Smith on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: This is a brutal blow to the Blue Jays and to fantasy managers who were hoping to get Hernandez back in the next couple of days. For Toronto, the concern is now a potential outbreak within the team, but it does sound like they caught this potential exposure early and quarantined Hernandez away from the team. Monitor his status—and the status of other Blue Jays players—in the coming days for updates.

Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins implied on Tuesday that pitcher and No. 1 prospect Nate Pearson is "absolutely pain-free. He is at 100% intensity off the mound. Now, it’s just a matter of getting him built back up." Pearson has been on the injured list with a groin injury that he aggravated in mid-March. (Source: Keegan Matheson on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: This is obviously a positive development for Pearson, and it sounds like he could be back with the Blue Jays sooner rather than later. However, after throwing just 18 innings in the shortened 2020 season, it's unclear just how many innings Toronto will let him throw in 2021. He is worth a speculative add in formats with roster space that allow for it, but expectations should be tempered.

Robbie Ray took the loss Monday as the Jays fell 3-1 to the Yankees, giving up two runs on three hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out three.

Fantasy Impact: Ray made his first regular-season start of the year as he started out on the 10-day injured list with a a bruised left elbow. Ray will look to get in the win column when he makes his next start set for Saturday in Kansas City.

The Blue Jays activated OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. from the COVID-19 injured list. (Source: Ben Nicholson-Smith on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Gurriel was dealing with some vaccine side effects over the weekend, but he's feeling better now. Expect him to be in Monday's lineup against the Yankees.

Blue Jays manager Charles Montoyo said RHP Tanner Roark will be moved to a long-relief role. (Source: Ben Nicholson-Smith on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Roark was lit up in his last start with the Blue Jays, surrendering five runs across three innings. Robbie Ray (elbow) is expected to return from the injured list soon sending Roark to the bullpen. Ross Stripling and T.J. Zeuch will hold down the back-end of the rotation for the time being. Roark will serve in a long-relief role and isn’t on the fantasy radar in 2021.

Randal Grichuk went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double, a walk, three RBI, and a run scored Saturday in a win over the Angels by a 15-1 score.

Fantasy Impact: Grichuk is off to a good start hitting .344 with a .417 on-base percentage with one home run, our runs scored, and eight RBI through 36 plate appearances. The veteran outfielder is worth owning in 12-14 team fantasy leagues and deeper.

Josh Palacios went 4-for-4 at the plate with a walk, an RBI and four runs scored Saturday in a 15-1 win over the Angels.

Fantasy Impact: Palacios was just called up on Friday due to Teoscar Hernandez being placed on the COVID-19 related injured list. The 25-year-old outfielder has been an average prospect and will more than likely be sent back down when Hernandez comes back.

Vladimir Guerrero went 2-for-4 with two walks, a stolen base, three RBI and a run scored Saturday in a victory over the Angels by a 15-1 score.

Fantasy Impact: Guerrero is off to hot start this season hitting .379/.538/.621 with two home runs, five runs and eight RBI over nine games. Guerrero should be owned in all fantasy formats.

Tommy Milone picked up the save Saturday in the win against the Angels, pitching three scoreless innings and yielding only one hit. He struck out six and did not walk a batter.

Fantasy Impact: Milone did not earn a traditional save as he entered the game with a 14-1 lead and had no stress in finishing off the final three innings of the lopsided win. Don't expect any more chances for the veteran lefty who is more of a middle/long reliever for the team.

Steven Matz took the win against the Angels on Saturday, pitching six innings and allowing one run on five hits and three walks while striking out four.

Fantasy Impact: Matz is off to a strong start in his first season with the Blue Jays, with two wins in his first two appearances and giving up only two runs across a combined 12 1/3 innings. The 29-year-old pitches again on Thursday in a start against the Royals in Kansas City. Fantasy owners should pick up Matz if he is available.

T.J. Zeuch was hammered for seven runs (three earned) on six hits with three walks and two hits over 3 1/3 innings in a loss to the Angels on Friday.

Fantasy Impact: Zeuch worked as the bulk pitcher behind opener David Phelps against the Angels on Friday and did not have a good performance. Fantasy owners should keep an eye on updates to see if Zeuch will get a start next week.

Jordan Romano gave up two this but was able to get the final two outs of the seventh inning on Thursday in a relief appearance in the extra-inning loss against the Angels.

Fantasy Impact: Romano is expected to serve as the primary closer for Toronto this year with Kirby Yates (elbow) out for the season. But the 27-year-old reliever has been used in different situations and has not seen a save opportunity. Fantasy owners should hold onto Romano for now to see how his role plays out.