Stop me if you've heard this before: The Toronto Blue Jays are struggling for offense.
After a 2024 season in which a season-long slump at the plate led to a full-on overhaul of the team's approach to hitting, the results so far in 2025 have been ... well, about the same so far. With just two runs in an ugly loss to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night, the Jays have a .649 team-wide OPS. That's fifth-worst in baseball, ahead of only the Pirates, Rockies, Royals and White Sox — not exactly the company you want to be keeping.
Marquee additions like Anthony Santander and Andres Gimenez have struggled mightily at the plate so far this year. But the team's homegrown talent (Vladimir Guerrero Jr. excepted) has been just as big a problem. After striking out on most of its free-agent wish list this winter, Toronto knew that it would need internal breakouts to help keep pace in the AL East. That hasn't born out — and at least one young player should lose his spot in the lineup because of it.
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Alan Roden hasn't proven worthy of his early playing time
Roden began the year as a feel-good story, a former third-round pick who methodically turned himself into one of the top prospects in the organization. He hit well enough in spring training to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster out of camp, and expectations were high for him in his MLB debut — especially after he got out to a hot start in his first-ever big-league game.
Of course, as is so often the case, the league adjusts — and Roden has had a hard time adjusting back. He's hitless in his last 26 plate appearances, dropping his season-long slash line down to .188 /.266/.275. Suddenly, he looks about as overmatched as you'd expect a rookie who never cracked any top-100 prospect lists and never hit for a ton of power in the Minor Leagues.
Roden has been a regular presence in the lineup against right-handed pitching so far this season, but it's high time that came to an end. There's just no way that Toronto can afford a black hole in its lineup right now, especially if stars like Santander, Gimenez and Alejandro Kirk aren't going to pull their weight. The return of Daulton Varsho gives the Jays another option in the outfield, allowing John Schneider greater flexibility when building his order on a daily basis.
Maybe Roden will turn things around in time, after he figures out how teams are attacking him right now. But the Jays are desperate for a spark before this season spirals out of control, and it's time to give other young guys a chance — whether that's Addison Barger or someone from the Minors like Orelvis Martinez.