Blue Jays' Eric Lauer is becoming more than a placeholder
The 2024 Toronto Blue Jays turned to 37-year-old Paolo Espino for a single start. Brett de Geus gave Toronto 2 1/3 innings last year. Orelvis Martinez appeared in one contest.
It takes more than 26 players to slog through 162 games. Usually, those guest appearances swiftly end with a return to Triple A or a trip to waivers. Thanks for the help, however brief.
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When Eric Lauer joined the Blue Jays on April 30, he was bullpen insurance for the week. Toronto was fresh off a doubleheader with 26 runs allowed in the previous three games. Lauer's cameo could've been brief, maybe a single episode.
Instead, he's morphed from emergency depth to starting savior. He's become a stable rotation fixture for a Blue Jays team that leads the American League East by two games. Before Ernie Clement's sacrifice bunt earned them a 4-3 walk-off win over the Angels on Friday, Lauer delivered the Blue Jays six-plus innings to push his season ERA to 2.65 — the lowest in Toronto's rotation.
Turning cameo into consistency, Lauer grabbed a regular spot in Toronto's rotation and could alter the 50-38 Jays' trade deadline needs.
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— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 5, 2025
'With each outing, his confidence is growing,' manager John Schneider said. 'And I think with each outing our confidence in him is growing.'
A year ago, Lauer stepped onto a mound for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, pitching on a minor-league deal with the Houston Astros. He lasted just 3 2/3 innings against the Texas Rangers' Triple-A affiliate, walking five batters and trying to claw his season ERA under six. The southpaw was days away from another release, and the big leagues felt out of reach.
Lauer posted a 3.47 ERA in 49 starts for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2021 and 2022, earning a spot in the playoff rotation. After shoulder and arm injuries, Lauer's arm slot strayed. He lost his release point and a spot on a big-league roster, too. Then came a failed stint in the Astros' farm and an unsuccessful trip to Korea. Lauer entered spring training with the Blue Jays this year feeling good again. Feelings count for little, though. He had to prove it.
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'It was a really rough couple years,' Lauer said. 'Trying to figure out what was going wrong.'
Lauer got his MLB opportunity with the Jays in late April, and injuries to Max Scherzer and Bowden Francis turned a moment into a lengthy stay. In 13 appearances for Toronto, Lauer has never allowed more than three runs. Since formally joining the Jays' rotation in June, he has a 3.24 ERA, right in line with his Brewers days.
The lefty's two-month stretch doesn't appear to be an aberration, either. Lauer's expected ERA sat at 3.35 entering Friday's outing, and his fastball grades out as one of the best in MLB. Against the Angels, Lauer earned a season-high 12 whiffs as he hurled his first quality start since April 2023. Every outing, Lauer earns more rope, pushing deeper into games.
'I think I've really taken advantage of the spots that I've been put into,' Lauer said. 'That was my game plan the whole time. Show what I can do, hopefully edge my way into the rotation as a permanent spot.'
At times this year, rotation depth was a glaring trade deadline necessity for the Blue Jays. With multiple open spots in the rotation, back-end pitchers like Andrew Heaney and Charlie Morton looked like easy additions on July 31. Now, with the rotation stable, the need for a playoff pitcher and high-octane reliever seems more pressing.
The Jays may still add that depth starter at the end of this month, especially with Scherzer's thumb uncertainty and the unknowns of Francis and Alek Manoah's rehabs. Toronto will have plenty more brief guest stars this season, but Lauer is no longer one of them. He's proving his permanence with every trip to the mound.
Andrés Giménez left Friday's contest after reaggravating an ankle sprain he suffered against the Yankees earlier this week. The Blue Jays sent the second baseman for an MRI after the contest.
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Outfielder Daulton Varsho, recovering from a hamstring strain, ran the bases on Friday and should soon appear in rehab games.
Anthony Santander moved to the 60-day injured list on Friday and cannot return to the Blue Jays before the end of July. As he recovers from shoulder inflammation, Santander remains at least a week away from swinging a bat.
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