Toronto Blue Jays

Jose Bautista reaches base four times

Sun, Sep 17th 9:41am EDT
By Brendan Tuma

Jose Bautista went 3-for-4 with a double and a walk on Saturday night as the Blue Jays walloped the Twins 7-2.

Fantasy Impact: Bautista is hitting just .208 through the middle of September. He also has 22 homers, 59 RBIs, six stolen bases, and a .690 OPS. It's unlikely Toronto will re-sign the 36-year-old this winter.

Josh Donaldson homers twice on Saturday night

Sun, Sep 17th 9:39am EDT
By Brendan Tuma

Josh Donaldson went 4-for-5 with two homers, four runs scored, and two RBIs on Saturday as the Blue Jays defeated the Twins 7-2.

Fantasy Impact: The two dingers make 28 on the year for Donaldson to go along with 69 RBIs, and a .266 batting average. It's fair to call his season somewhat of a disappointment, but he's still sporting a .931 OPS. This could end up making him a value pick in 2018 fantasy drafts.

Richard Urena hits a walk-off homer

Wed, Sep 13th 9:36am EDT
By Jeff Latka

Richard Urena's disappointing season in the Minor Leagues seems to be a distant memory now that he's riding high under the bright lights of a big league ballpark.

Fantasy Impact: Urena burst onto the scene earlier this month and hasn't looked back. His latest highlight came Tuesday night on a walk-off single in Toronto's 3-2 victory vs. Orioles star closer Zach Britton. The 21-year-old Urena has a five-game hitting streak and is batting .324 (11-for-34) with three extra-base hits and three RBIs over nine games. Urena also has been providing strong defense at shortstop and has become a bright spot during an otherwise frustrating finish to Toronto's 2017 season. In the Minors, Urena was limited to a .246 average and a .286 on-base percentage. He often found trouble by chasing too many pitches out of the zone, but in the big leagues has been able to take advantage of pitchers who have been going after him. The big test will come when opposing teams start making adjustments, but that doesn't take away from how he's currently performing.

Roberto Osuna to remain Blue Jays' closer

Wed, Sep 6th 12:33pm EDT
By Blaine Blontz

Roberto Osuna will remain the Blue Jays' closer, the team has confirmed. Osuna blew his 10th save opportunity of the season on Tuesday. (Source: BlueJays.MLB.com)

Fantasy Impact: It doesn't appear that a move will be made immediately, and the team provided support to the young closer. However, it's unclear how much leash Osuna has remaining given he's allowed six earned runs over his last seven outings.

Norichika Aoki notches three hits for the New York Mets

Mon, Sep 4th 7:35am EDT
By Reggie Beltran

Getting his second start with his new team, the veteran outfielder finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. He also walked once and stole a base.

Fantasy Impact: He's 4-for-9 with his new team. He probably won't sustain this pace, but he could have value in really deep leagues. He'll play regularly for the rest of the season and has some streaming appeal in DFS.

Justin Smoak (calf) remains out Friday

Fri, Sep 1st 5:01pm EDT
By Elliott Baas

Justin Smoak (calf) remains out of the Blue Jays' lineup Friday against the Orioles. (Source: Gregor Chisholm on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: This will be Smoak's third straight missed game with a calf injury. Steve Pearce is playing 1B and batting fourth in his place.

Kendrys Morales drives in seven runs Thursday night

Fri, Sep 1st 10:38am EDT
By Jeff Latka

Blue Jays designated hitter Kendrys Morales went 4-for-5 with three homers, seven RBIs and four runs scored Thursday vs. the Orioles.

Fantasy Impact: Morales became the first player in Blue Jays history to record four hits, three homers and seven RBIs in a single game. The historic night must feel like a breath of fresh air for fantasy owners, as the slugger came into the contest having hit .221 with just two long balls over 77 at-bats in August. Morales may not hit for much of an average but does showcase above-average power, which makes him a potential option in deeper leagues.

Marcus Stroman pitches well in no-decision

Tue, Aug 29th 4:41pm EDT
By Jonathan Witt

Marcus Stroman pitched six strong innings against Boston on Monday. He had one ER and four SO on the night.

Fantasy Impact: Stroman is having a nice season, with a 3.11 ERA and a record of 11-6. He draws the Orioles on the road in his next start.

Marco Estrada struggles versus the Yankees

Wed, Aug 16th 8:47am EDT
By Brendan Tuma

Marco Estrada allowed six runs on 10 hits over 4 1/3 innings on Tuesday night versus the Yankees.

Fantasy Impact: The right-hander walked four, struck out three, and allowed two homers in this one. Just as it looked as if he was turning things around he throws this clunker. For the year Estrada has a disappointing 5.09 ERA.

J.A. Happ strikes out eight as Blue Jays win

Sun, Aug 13th 7:05pm EDT
By Brendan Tuma

J.A. Happ allowed just one run on four hits over six innings of work on Sunday versus the Yankees as the Blue Jays won 7-1. Happ walked three and struck out eight on the day.

Fantasy Impact: The 34-year-old southpaw was dealing with some injuries in the beginning part of the year but since June 11th Happ has allowed more than three runs in a game just once. He has a 1.45 ERA through three August starts and should be started and trusted in fantasy leagues as the playoffs approach.

Russell Martin placed on 10-day disabled list

Sat, Aug 12th 11:40am EDT
By John Aubin

Russell Martin was placed on the 10-day disabled list Saturday due to a left oblique strain. (Source: Blue Jays on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Martin was borderline ownable in fantasy leagues hitting just .195 after the All Star break and can be dropped. Owners needing an option to replace Martin should look to Alex Avila of the Cubs who is available in many leagues.

Kevin Pillar snaps hitting streak

Wed, Aug 9th 12:03am EDT
By Andrew Seifter

Kevin Pillar went 0-for-4 in Tuesday's win over the Yankees.

Fantasy Impact: The o-fer snaps Pillar's modest six-game hitting streak. It's also the first time he's failed to score a run since July 29.

Steve Pearce reaches three times

Wed, Aug 9th 12:00am EDT
By Andrew Seifter

Steve Pearce went 2-for-3 with a walk in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Yankees.

Fantasy Impact: Pearce has now walked eight times in his last seven games, which is a promising sign considering his walk rate has dropped off this year. His power is well-established, but he can also potentially be an asset in batting average and runs scored if maintains a disciplined approach.

Joe Smith traded to Cleveland Indians

Mon, Jul 31st 3:17pm EDT
By Mike Maher

Joe Smith has been traded from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Cleveland Indians, according to Ken Rosenthal on Twitter. (Source: Ken Rosenthal on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: The side-arming reliever was just activated from the disabled list on Saturday, so the Indians will likely want him to clear a medical evaluation before finalizing the deal. Smith joins a crowded Indians bullpen that already has talented relievers in Andrew Miller, Bryan Shaw, Cody Allan, Zach McAllister, and others, and his role will likely fluctuate from game to game based on how Terry Francona deploys his relievers. He should receive a decent amount of chances for holds, but nothing is guaranteed in a bullpen like Cleveland's.

Francisco Liriano being traded to the Astros, pending a physical

Mon, Jul 31st 1:34pm EDT
By Mike Maher

Francisco Liriano has been traded from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Houston Astros, pending a physical, according to Shi Davidi on Twitter. (Source: Shi Davidi on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Liriano is reportedly going to be a reliever for the Astros, though he could be used as rotational depth if they suffer any more injuries to their starting rotation. He has not been great in 2017, pitching to a 5.88 ERA, but he may profile better as a reliever, especially if he faces mostly left-handed hitters. This does reduce his value in most formats, as he is not, at least for now, likely to see regular starts for the Astros.

Troy Tulowitzki (ankle) placed on 10-day DL

Sat, Jul 29th 12:33pm EDT
By Brad Richter

The Blue Jays have placed SS Troy Tulowitzki on the 10-day DL and recalled Rob Refsnyder. (Source: Blue Jays PR on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Tulowitzki suffered a sprained right ankle during Friday's game against the Angels in the third inning when he stepped on C.J. Cron's foot at first base trying to beat out an infield hit. Ryan Goins and Darwin Barney will fill in for Tulowitzki at SS in his absence. No timetable has been set for Tulowitzki's return.

Aaron Sanchez struggles at Fenway

Wed, Jul 19th 11:04pm EDT
By Brendan Tuma

Aaron Sanchez allowed five runs (three earned) on six hits over four inning in Wednesday night's loss to the Red Sox. Sanchez walked five and struck out just two.

Fantasy Impact: Last season's American League ERA leader simply had no control of his pitches tonight, as evidenced by the five free passes Sanchez allowed. He now carries a 4.25 ERA in what has become a frustrating season.

Ezequiel Carrera homers off bench again

Mon, Jul 10th 11:13am EDT
By Andrew Seifter

For the second time in three days, Ezequiel Carrera hit a home run off Francis Martes in the ninth inning of a blowout loss to the Astros.

Fantasy Impact: He did not start in either game. Carrera will head into the All-Star break slashing .285/.351/.419, and if Toronto's offensive struggles continue, perhaps he'll see a bit more playing time in the second half.

Miguel Montero still looking for first hit as a Blue Jay

Fri, Jul 7th 11:20pm EDT
By Andrew Seifter

Miguel Montero went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in Friday's loss to the Astros, and is now 0-for-7 as a member of the Blue Jays.

Fantasy Impact: Montero could take some playing time away from Russell Martin if Martin struggles, but right now Martin is hot and Montero is not. That's good news for Martin's fantasy value, at least for now, and means Montero isn't even an option in deep two catcher leagues.

Joe Biagini gets shelled on Sunday

Sun, Jul 2nd 7:45pm EDT
By Brendan Tuma

Joe Biagini took the loss on Sunday afternoon versus Boston, allowing seven runs on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings. Biagini also walked two and struck out seven.

Fantasy Impact: Biagini fell victim to a pair of Mookie Betts homers. There's no shame in getting hurt by a player of Betts' caliber, but Biagini has shown no real signs this year that he's ready to make an impact in fantasy. He's currently 2-8 with an ERA over 5.