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The Blue Jays designated Lauer for assignment Monday.
The lefty will give up his spot on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster to right-hander Yariel Rodriguez, who was called up from Triple-A Buffalo ahead of Monday's game versus the Rays. The transaction comes after Lauer was lit up for six runs over five innings in a bulk-relief appearance during Sunday's loss to the Angels, bringing the veteran southpaw's ERA to 6.69 over 36.1 innings on the season. With Lauer out of the mix, the Blue Jays will have an opening in the rotation for a fifth starter until Max Scherzer (forearm), Jose Berrios (elbow) or Shane Bieber (elbow) is ready to return from the injured list. Toronto could turn to Spencer Miles to help fill the void, after Miles tossed three scoreless frames as an opener in front of Lauer in Sunday's loss.
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Blue Jays' Eric Lauer: Struggles in bulk-relief role
Rotowire
Lauer (1-5) took the loss against the Angels on Sunday. He allowed six runs on five htis and two walks while striking out four across five innings.
Spencer Miles served as Toronto's opener for Sunday's series finale, and he ended up tossing three scoreless innings before Tommy Nance came in to toss a clean, eight-pitch fourth. Lauer entered the game in the fifth with the Blue Jays up 1-0, but the 30-year-old southpaw struggled out of the gate and allowed four runs in the frame, including a two-run homer to the second batter he faced, Oswald Peraza. Lauer proceeded to yield solo long balls to Jo Adell in both the sixth and ninth, and the former now sits at a 6.69 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 26:16 K:BB across 36.1 innings this season. Lauer's next turn in the rotation is tentatively slated for next weekend on the road against the Tigers, though it's possible that Blue Jays manager John Schneider upgrades Miles to a starter role given the team's injuries in the rotation.
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Blue Jays' Eric Lauer: Working behind opener Sunday
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Lauer will serve in a bulk-relief role in Sunday's series finale against the Angels, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
Spencer Miles will work as the Blue Jays' opening pitcher Sunday, likely covering an inning or two before Lauer takes over. Lauer has given up at least three earned runs in four of his last five starts, and over that span he has gone 0-3 with a 6.38 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 13:10 K:BB across 24 innings. He'll be facing an Angels team that has scored just one run over the first two games of the series against Toronto.
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Blue Jays' Eric Lauer: Punished early Monday
Rotowire
Lauer (1-4) took the loss Monday against the Rays, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out two over 4.1 innings.
Lauer struggled out of the gate, giving up all three of his runs in the first inning before recording an out, via a three-run homer from Ryan Vilade. He settled in nicely after that, retiring 13 of the next 16 batters, but the early damage proved too much for Toronto to overcome. Lauer has yet to pitch deep into games this season, topping 90 pitches just once and still without a start of six innings or more. He now owns a 6.03 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and a 22:14 K:BB across 31.1 innings and is scheduled to face the Angels next.
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Blue Jays' Eric Lauer: Starting Monday
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Lauer is scheduled to start Monday's game against the Rays, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Jose Berrios (elbow) will make a fourth minor-league rehab start Sunday and won't be a candidate to return from the 15-day injured list until later next week, so Lauer will receive at least one more turn through the rotation. Lauer surrendered seven runs to the Twins on April 11 but has otherwise been a more respectable fill-in starter with a 4.57 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 17:8 K:BB in his other five outings.
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Blue Jays' Eric Lauer: Solid vs. Red Sox
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Lauer did not factor into the decision Wednesday against the Red Sox, allowing a run on five hits and a walk across 4.1 innings. He struck out one.
While the veteran left-hander didn't qualify for the win, he was solid in his fifth start of the year, limiting Boston to a lone run on Willson Contreras' first-inning homer. Lauer, who sports a 6.00 ERA with a 1.52 WHIP across 27 innings this season, will likely return to the bullpen, as Jose Berrios (elbow) is expected to rejoin Toronto's rotation next week.
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Blue Jays' Eric Lauer: Re-entering rotation Wednesday
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Lauer is slated to start Wednesday's game against the Red Sox in Toronto, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
Lauer had been banished to the bullpen last week after logging a 6.75 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 22.2 innings over his first five appearances (four starts) on the season, but he'll get another look in the rotation after the Blue Jays lost Max Scherzer (forearm/ankle) to the injured list Monday. The southpaw's upcoming run in the rotation could be brief, as Jose Berrios (elbow) has already made three rehab starts and may be ready to return from the IL the next time Toronto requires a fifth starter.
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Blue Jays' Eric Lauer: Could get another shot in rotation
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Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Monday that Lauer is an option to start Wednesday's game versus the Red Sox in place of the injured Max Scherzer (forearm/ankle), Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The Blue Jays announced over the weekend that Lauer would shift to the bullpen to accommodate the return of Trey Yesavage (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list. Lauer has yet to make a relief appearance since that announcement, and he could immediately slide back into the rotation when Scherzer's turn comes up. Any reappointment to the rotation could be short-lived for Lauer, however, with Jose Berrios (elbow) nearing a return from the injured list. The left-handed Lauer owns a 6.75 ERA and 1.54 WHIP alongside a 19:12 K:BB across 22.2 innings this season.
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Blue Jays' Eric Lauer: Relegated to bullpen
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Manager John Schneider said Saturday that Lauer will pitch out of the bullpen going forward, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
Trey Yesavage (shoulder) is set to make his return from the injured list Tuesday and start against Boston, which will squeeze Lauer out of the rotation and back into a long-relief role. The 30-year-old southpaw has struggled through his first five appearances of the season, turning in a 6.75 ERA and 1.54 WHIP alongside a 19:12 K:BB across 22.2 innings.
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Blue Jays' Eric Lauer: Goes five innings in no-decision
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Lauer did not factor into the decision Wednesday against the Angels, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out three.
While Lauer avoided a fourth straight loss Wednesday, the left-hander has yet to make it through six frames in any of his five outings this season. Overall, Lauer is 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 19:12 K:BB across 22.2 innings. He's currently slated to face the Red Sox at home his next time out.
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Blue Jays' Eric Lauer: Takes loss in bulk-relief outing
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Lauer (1-3) allowed three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out four over five innings to take the loss versus the Diamondbacks on Friday.
Lauer worked behind opener Braydon Fisher, who tossed a scoreless first inning. This wasn't a terrible outing for Lauer, but it was still his third straight loss, and he may continue to work in bulk relief on occasion moving forward. Over four appearances this season, he has a poor 7.13 ERA with a 1.47 WHIP and 16:10 K:BB over 17.2 innings. Walks have been a problem for Lauer in the past, but he looked to have solved that issue with a 2.2 BB/9 over 104.2 innings in 2025. It's not yet clear if he'll start or come out of the bullpen for his next outing, which is tentatively projected to be on the road versus the Angels next week.
Lauer (1-2) took the loss against the Twins on Saturday, allowing seven runs on five hits and five walks while striking out three across 5.1 innings.
All seven of the runs Lauer gave up during Saturday's contest came in the third inning, highlighted by a solo home run from Brooks Lee and a three-run long shot from Trevor Larnach. Lauer ended up staying in the ball game before being pulled in the sixth in order to give the Blue Jays' bullpen some rest, tossing 95 pitches (53 strikes) while generating only five whiffs and two groundouts. Lauer has struggled to open the 2026 regular season, and through three starts he has yielded 11 earned runs on 11 hits and nine walks while striking out 12 over 12.2 frames. He's slated to start next weekend on the road against the Diamondbacks.
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Blue Jays' Eric Lauer: Not 100 percent Sunday
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Lauer (flu) was far from full strength Sunday and gave up two runs on three hits and three walks in two innings against the White Sox, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. Lauer took the loss.
Lauer's start was pushed back one day due to the illness, but it sounds like it still negatively affected his performance. Miguel Vargas plated two runs with a triple in the first inning, and Lauer was fortunate to strand two-thirds of his baserunners in this one. He will presumably be back to full strength for next weekend's matchup at home against the Twins.
Lauer will start Sunday against the White Sox instead of Saturday as previously scheduled due to an illness, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
An ailment has apparently been working its way through the Blue Jays' clubhouse, and it will push Lauer back one day in the rotation. The left-hander made his season debut last Sunday versus the Athletics and had a strong showing, striking out nine while giving up two runs on three hits and a walk over 5.1 innings.
Lauer (1-0) earned the win against the Athletics on Sunday, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk with nine strikeouts over 5.1 innings.
Lauer allowed a two-run homer in the fifth inning but was otherwise fantastic, generating a whopping 17 whiffs on 87 pitches. The 30-year-old got the nod with Trey Yesavage (shoulder) opening the year on the injured list and certainly made a strong case to stick in the rotation for now. He posted a 3.18 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 102:26 K:BB across 104.2 regular-season innings in 2025 and tentatively lines up for a road matchup against the White Sox next weekend.
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