Blue Jays vs Tigers

A return to the lineup next week remains firmly on the table for Barger. The 26-year-old had gotten off to a slow start, going 1-for-19 (.053) through eight games before getting injured, so the organization may not rush him back from the rehab stint in order to give him a chance to find his timing at the plate, but once he's activated from the IL, Barger should reclaim his starting role against right-handed pitching in right field.

Kirk has spent the past several weeks recovering from a procedure he underwent in early April to repair his fractured left thumb. He was given a six-week return timeline following the operation, which would put him in line to return sometime around mid-May, though an updated estimate will likely emerge as he continues to check off boxes.

Francis dealt with a right shoulder impingement during the 2025 season that landed him in the injured list in June. He was able to commence a throwing program in August after some prior setbacks and had managed to face hitters during live batting practice. However, with the right-hander set for Tommy John surgery, he may go a season and a half without pitching in a game.

Ponce sprained his right ACL in late March, which was a severe enough injury to require season-ending surgery, but he should be available for the start of spring training. He signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Blue Jays in December after spending three seasons in Japan. Ponce's start against the Rockies on March 30 -- when he suffered his injury -- was his first appearance in an MLB game since 2021, when he played with the Pirates.

Springer has been sidelined for the past two-plus weeks due to a fractured left big toe, but it appears he'll rejoin the Blue Jays on Wednesday, assuming he can avoid a last-minute setback. Prior to the injury, the veteran outfielder was in the midst of a slow start to the campaign with two homers and a .185/.290/.370 slash line in his first 14 games.

Berrios wasn't great in his last rehab appearance with Buffalo on Wednesday, when he tossed 70 pitches and allowed five runs on five hits (including two homers) and two walks while striking out two across four innings. With Berrios scheduled to pitch Sunday, he could rejoin the Blue Jays for their weekend home series against the Angels that kicks off Friday, May 8, barring any setbacks.

Estrada was excellent in a bulk-relief outing Saturday, holding the White Sox hitless over four innings while striking out three batters and walking two. However, he threw 66 pitches and would presumably be sidelined for several days as a result, so the Blue Jays opted to shuffle him down to Buffalo in order to beef up the team's bullpen depth. Given Estrada's performance Saturday, it seems very likely he'll be back with the major-league club relatively soon.

The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer came into the game looking for his 3,500th career strikeout -- a milestone only 10 pitchers in MLB history have reached -- but Scherzer not only failed to get it, he got rocked in an outing that mercifully ended after 82 pitches (51 strikes) once Angel Martinez had taken him deep for the second time. Scherzer's time in the Toronto rotation could be close to ending with both Trey Yesavage (shoulder) and Jose Berrios (elbow) getting closer to coming off the IL, but Eric Lauer and Patrick Corbin have little job security as well. Despite his 9.64 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 10:8 K:BB through 18.2 innings, Scherzer could be able to save his job with a good effort in his next start, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the Red Sox.

Lukes felt discomfort in his hamstring after hitting a leadoff double in the first inning of Friday's contest, causing him to come out of the game early. Manager John Schneider said after the game that Lukes compared his soreness to that of a cramp, but the Jays will still have him undergo imaging to make sure he isn't dealing with any structural damage. More will be known regarding his injury when the results come back Saturday, and Myles Straw could pick up starts in the outfield if Lukes sits out a game or two.

Rodriguez submitted a 3.83 ERA and 1.24 WHIP across 87 appearances (22 starts) for Toronto over the past two seasons, but he headed into spring training with a slim chance at winning a spot in Toronto's Opening Day bullpen after he was outrighted off the 40-man roster in December. The 29-year-old righty is expected to work in relief at Triple-A Buffalo to begin the season.

Tuesday marks the first time Brieske has thrown off a mound since he suffered a left adductor strain during spring training. He was placed on the 60-day injured list before the regular season began and isn't eligible to return until late May, but the 28-year-old appears to be progressing as expected.

Mize had allowed two earned runs on three hits and a walk while striking out three batters in 2.1 innings before coming out of Tuesday's game. The details of his injury remain unknown, but the Tigers should provide more information after they take a closer look at him.

Seabold has had a low-leverage role for the Tigers this season, compiling a 4.09 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 11:5 K:BB over 11 innings spanning eight appearances. He has a win on his ledger but no holds or saves. With Seabold slated to miss at least 15 days, the Tigers recalled righty reliever Brenan Hanifee from Triple-A to fill a spot in the bullpen.

Baez suffered the injury during Tuesday's loss to Atlanta and had to be carted off the field. The Tigers have not revealed the severity of Baez's sprain, but he's likely to need more than just a minimum 10-day absence. Wenceel Perez is starting in center field for Detroit on Wednesday and should see an uptick in playing time while Baez is out.

Verlander will throw another bullpen session soon and seems to be trending in the right direction as he works his way back from left hip inflammation. However, the 43-year-old is still feeling some soreness, and until that goes away he will not be cleared to pitch in games. Verlander missed all of April and there remains no timetable for his return.

Meadows is also recovering from a concussion. He's already been moved to the 60-day injured list, and there remains no clear timetable for his return at this point. Javier Baez has seen more action in center field since Meadows went down, and Matt Vierling and Wenceel Perez have also experienced an elevated role.

It was feared that Olson would not be ready for Opening Day, but it turned out to be worse than that. Near the end of the 2025 season, there was a hope that he could return for the postseason after hitting the injured list in July, but that did not come to fruition either. Prior to the Tigers announcing Olson's surgery, they had signed Framber Valdez on Feb. 4 and Justin Verlander earlier Tuesday. Troy Melton is also an option to find time in the rotation with both Olson and Jackson Jobe (elbow) out.

McKinstry has been cleared for game action after missing the past two weeks with left hip/abdominal inflammation. He didn't play a full game Thursday, and the Tigers likely want him to do that before he's activated, but McKinstry should return to Detroit's active roster soon.

Vest covered the bottom of the ninth inning in a 0-0 game and was then asked to come back out in the 10th. The veteran uncorked a wild pitch and ended up allowing a single to Masataka Yoshida that brought home the automatic baserunner from third base and won the game for the Red Sox. Despite taking his third loss of the season, Vest managed to lower his ERA from 6.75 to 5.63, and he's only allowed two earned runs over his last six appearances to go along with 10 strikeouts, so he's pitching a bit better than his overall stats would suggest.