Unpacking Blue Jays' opening weekend performance

The Toronto Blue Jays' 2025 regular season is underway, with the club earning a split over a four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre. Here, we look at early storylines that emerged and are worth watching with the Washington Nationals and New York Mets on the schedule this week.

Rotation depth already tested

The Blue Jays took a gamble signing future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer to a one-year, $15-million contract to bolster the rotation. Scherzer's still proven to be a productive pitcher, but questions remained about whether he could stay on the mound long enough to justify the deal. Injuries have been a big part of the Scherzer equation in recent years, including the ace making only nine starts with Texas last season. The 40-year-old looked great during spring training, but a nagging thumb issue limited him late in camp. Despite Scherzer trying to manage the problem, it popped up during his debut Saturday.

The Blue Jays decided not to add Ryan Yarbrough to the roster ahead of Opening Day due partly to having Yariel Rodríguez as the potential long man out of the bullpen, making Yarbrough somewhat redundant. The decision was iffy at the time, and it didn't take long for the move to look even worse after Scherzer left his Blue Jays debut after three innings and 45 pitches with right lat soreness. Scherzer said in spring training that the thumb injury could lead to other issues, and Toronto listed thumb inflammation as his reason for being on the injury list.

Any prolonged absence for Scherzer would be difficult for manager John Schneider to navigate. Rodríguez seemed like a candidate to slide into the rotation, but Schneider appears to be considering keeping him in a high-leverage relief role. This is where Yarbrough's presence would've come in handy. Opting for Richard Lovelady (who the Jays designated for assignment Sunday) and Jacob Barnes over Yarbrough doesn't make much sense for a team that headed into the season with a major question mark in Scherzer. It took less than three games for that decision-making to be put under the microscope. Time will tell if it costs the Blue Jays games in the standings.

Giménez surprises in clean-up spot

Schneider turned heads before the opener against the Orioles when he slotted in offseason acquisition Andrés Giménez into the cleanup spot. It was a surprising decision, as Giménez entered the game with just 21 career MLB at-bats hitting fourth. When you picture a conventional No. 4 hitter, you'd forgive fans for not immediately thinking of someone with a career slugging percentage under .400 and coming off a year with a .638 OPS.

The move paid dividends in the first contest, as Giménez provided the only offensive punch in a deflating 12-2 loss with a two-run home run. Giménez homered again in the series and finished the four-game set 4-for-16 (.250) with a team-leading four RBIs. While it remains unconventional, there aren't a lot of options for Schneider when it comes to who hits behind Anthony Santander. Depending on matchups, Giménez could stick in the cleanup spot until Daulton Varsho returns from the IL. Giménez's sudden power outburst was one of the surprising developments from the season's first weekend.

Bichette hits the ground running

Bo Bichette's impending free agency flew a bit under the radar with all of the attention focused on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. It didn't help that Bichette struggled through injuries and the worst statistical season of his career in 2024. Most assumed he'd try and rebuild his value at the plate this year before testing free agency after the campaign.

The early returns look promising. Bichette is 7-for-15 without a strikeout to start the campaign. He's hitting the ball hard and using all parts of the field. This looks like the player who led the American League in hitting for two straight years. Bichette appears motivated and ready to prove that 2024 was a mere blip on the radar of a productive and consistent career. His bat-to-ball skills look like a good fit leading off moving forward.

Bichette attributes his success to keeping things consistent in his approach, so don't expect him to experiment with the new "Torpedo" bat displayed by the New York Yankees during opening weekend.

"I've pretty much used the same bat since I was, like, 15 years old," Bichette told theScore Sunday. "I've just never wanted to act like the bat is the reason for success or failure."

Back of bullpen in good hands

The combination of Yimi García in the eighth inning and closer Jeff Hoffman in the ninth should feel like a warm blanket to Blue Jays fans who endured a calamitous bullpen situation that cost the club countless games in 2024. The two combined to allow just two hits with five strikeouts, zero walks, and zero runs in four innings. Hoffman collected his first save with Toronto, putting up a perfect ninth inning Sunday that included two strikeouts.

Having battled-tested veterans who can miss bats at a high clip in the most important stages of a game is a nice luxury for any club. The Blue Jays invested $48 million in Hoffman and García for a reason. It's clear why they were aggressive in that pursuit after opening weekend.

Unlikely hero emerges

Blue Jays backup catcher Tyler Heineman isn't known for what he can do with a bat. His value comes on the defensive side, with the journeyman back in Toronto for a third tour of duty. The 33-year-old entered play in the series finale against the Orioles with only one career home run, which came in 2019 with the Miami Marlins.

With the Blue Jays leading 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Heineman stepped to the plate against tough left-hander Cionel Pérez. Heineman turned on a 1-0 slider, hitting it to left field with an impressive 101.2-mph exit velocity. He unleashed an epic bat flip after the clutch homer, the first long ball Pérez had allowed in 104 games.

Things to keep an eye on

Kevin Gausman's lack of whiffs: The right-hander grinded out a quality start with four strikeouts across six innings of two-run ball to earn his first win of the season. However, his trusted splitter induced only an 11.1% whiff rate, a far cry from the 33.6% rate he carried in 2024. Overall, Gausman's whiff rate was only 20% against the Orioles. His fastball velocity was good, which is a reason for optimism. Gausman's splitter has historically performed better when he can play it off a good fastball. It'll be interesting to see if Gausman can pile up a few more swinging strikes in his next start against the Nationals.

Chad Green's bumpy start: Green allowed home runs in each of his two outings against the Orioles. The 33-year-old struggled down the stretch in 2024, posting an 11.42 ERA in his final nine appearances. Green will be afforded some runway to get things back on track, but the door could be open for someone like Rodríguez or Nick Sandlin to supplant him on the bullpen pecking order if he continues to struggle.