TORONTO – Davis Schneider got the start in left field for the Blue Jays on Saturday against Tampa Bay as Toronto aimed to move closer to clinching the American League East Division title.
Schneider, who replaced Anthony Santander in the starting lineup, was tabbed to bat fifth in the mid-afternoon game at Rogers Centre.
Blue Jays rookie right-hander Trey Yesavage was set to make his third career big-league start for Toronto while Tampa Bay countered with Joe Boyle.
“I’m kind of just giving Tony a break a little bit,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said in his pre-game media availability. “And then Schneider faced (Boyle last week) in Tampa. He can hit a heater and he controls the zone.
“That’s what we’ve got to do against Boyle.”
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
Santander, who had one hit over three games after being activated from the injured list, was available off the bench. He missed nearly four months with a shoulder injury.
Schneider entered play with a .237 average and .797 OPS over 80 games this season. He has 11 homers and 31 RBIs.
The Blue Jays started the day with a magic number of two to clinch the East crown. Any combination of Toronto wins and New York losses totalling that number would give the Blue Jays their first division title since 2015.
The Yankees were scheduled to play the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday afternoon. New York and Toronto started the day in a first-place tie in the East but the Blue Jays hold the tiebreaker thanks to a better head-to-head record.
Kevin Gausman is the tentative starter for the Blue Jays in Sunday’s regular-season finale. His pitch count will likely be trimmed significantly if the Blue Jays clinch on Saturday.
“He knows that he’s going to pitch tomorrow in some capacity,” John Schneider said.
The first-place finisher will get a bye to the AL Division Series while the second-place team must play in the wild-card series.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 27, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
