Blue Jays vs Yankees

Barger homered in his first rehab game with Single-A Dunedin on Sunday and will play there again Tuesday. He could rejoin the Blue Jays after that and be activated as soon as Wednesday, but a return Friday for the start of a homestand seems likelier. Barger has been sidelined since early April with sprains in both ankles.

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.

Berrios tossed exactly 70 pitches for the second straight rehab appearance, but he lacked both command and control once again. After beginning his rehab assignment with a pair of starts in the Florida State League, Berrios has posted a 14.09 ERA, 2.22 WHIP and 3:6 K:BB while serving up five home runs over 7.2 innings at Triple-A. At this point, Berrios looked to be fully stretched out for a starting role, but his poor results in his last two outings with Buffalo don't offer much confidence that he would represent an upgrade over Eric Lauer at the back end of the rotation. The Blue Jays may wait and see how Lauer fares during his upcoming start Monday at Tampa Bay before determining Berrios's next steps.

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.

The team estimates that Lukes is still about a week away from starting up a running progression, but a return to hitting still marks a significant milestone in his recovery from a left hamstring strain. It remains unknown when he'll be cleared to return from the injured list, though a timeline could emerge once he begins running.

Springer had to depart Saturday's contest versus the Twins after being hit in the left foot by a pitch, and he will now miss a second straight start. He is considered day-to-day. Daulton Varsho is filling in at designated hitter Monday, and Yohendrick Pinango will get another look in the leadoff spot.

After starting the season with a .188 batting average and .423 OPS through 20 games, Heineman will take a seat on the bench for the third time in Toronto's last four games while Brandon Valenzuela starts at catcher.

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.

Boone said that Chivilli has some "acute and chronic stuff going on" in his right shoulder, so the Yankees will shut him down for an extended period of time. The team may provide a timetable for the right-hander's return once his no-throw period is over.

Cole has so far completed three minor-league starts (one with Hudson Valley and two with Double-A Somerset) and has recorded a 5.02 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 10:1 K:BB through 14.1 innings. In his most recent outing, the veteran righty worked 5.2 frames and threw 60 pitches while sitting at 93-96 mph with his fastball. The Yankees haven't announced how many more rehab starts Cole will make, but it seems to be at least a possibility that if his outing Tuesday goes well, Cole's following start will be in an MLB contest.

Stanton hopes to resume hitting this weekend, but there's no word on when he will be cleared to run and a timeline for his return to the active roster won't come into focus until that happens. The designated hitter suffered a low-grade right calf strain one week ago.

The Yankees will keep Rice on the bench for the series finale after he was removed in the fourth inning of Sunday's 11-3 win due to a left hand contusion, which he sustained while fielding a low pickoff throw. Paul Goldschmidt will draw the start at first base in place of Rice, whom the Yankees still seem to be viewing as day-to-day after X-rays on his hand returned negative.

Dominguez was forced from the Yankees' last game Wednesday with a left elbow contusion following a hit-by-pitch. He's not in the starting lineup Friday, but the switch hitter has escaped a serious injury and could be available to pinch hit, if needed. Dominguez has a good chance to return to the lineup Saturday.