Happy Opening Day, everyone!

For the first time since 2022, the Toronto Blue Jays start their season at home as the renovations of Rogers Centre are done. On Thursday afternoon, they begin a four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles with José Berríos on the mound.

As has been the case for the past four seasons, expectations are high for the Blue Jays.  Last season, they fell well short of those expectations as they finished with an American League division-worst 74-88 record, 12 games back of the final Wild Card spot and 20 games behind the division.

However, they had a strong Spring Training, finishing with the best record in the Grapefruit League for the mythical Golden Grapefruit. Unlike the 2023-24 off-season, the Blue Jays made significant additions to their lineup, adding a power bat in Anthony Santander, another defensive stalwart in Andrés Giménez, and rebuilding their bullpen from the ground up.

More importantly, the team’s health went almost unscathed after Spring Training. Daulton Varsho was placed on the 10-day Injured List, but we knew a while ago he wasn’t going to be ready to start the season in the outfield after shoulder surgery in September. Ryan Burr and Erik Swanson were placed on the 15-day Injured List as well, the former didn’t pitch in Spring Training while the latter was injured early in it. Thankfully, Swanson avoided the worst-case scenario with his elbow.

The Blue Jays also officially added Alan Roden to their 40-man and 26-man roster. Selected in the third round of the 2022 draft, Roden has been a quick riser in the Blue Jays’ minor league system and even won their hitter of the year in 2024. After a strong 2025 Spring Training, his spot on the team was undeniable. He’s batting ninth in his first game, but expect him to move up the lineup eventually.

Toronto Blue Jays – José Berríos: 0-0, 0.00 ERA , 0 IP, 0 SO, 0 BB

Baltimore Orioles – Zach Eflin: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0 IP, 0 SO, 0 BB