To say the Toronto Blue Jays have fallen short of expectations would be an understatement. They've gone from a team that was within two outs of a World Series title in 2025 to a team more likely to miss the playoffs than make them in 2026. The Jays are currently 1.5 games back of a Wild Card spot as of this writing.
As disappointing as this season has been, the Jays are not dead yet. They earned a crucial win on Wednesday, pulling them to within one game of .500, and two of their final three series are against teams they're in direct competition with in the Wild Card race. If the Jays are able to make the playoffs, these players who have not been performing as advertised will be forgiven.
1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
What if I told you that it took until September 13 for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to hit his first home run at home this season? That's right, a player who has hit as many as 48 home runs in a single season and hit so many huge home runs in the 2025 postseason didn't go deep a single time in Canada until mid-September. That encapsulates the season Guerrero, who has nine home runs and a .694 OPS in 138 games, has had.
Guerrero has gone from an MVP-caliber hitter to a below-average bat by virtually every metric, and his decline is a huge reason why the Jays rank second-to-last in runs scored. In Blue Jays wins, Guerrero has a .947 OPS with seven of his nine home runs. In Blue Jays losses, Guerrero has hit .153 with a .429 OPS. It's night and day, and whether the Jays make the playoffs could very well depend on how he finishes out his regular season.
INF Ernie Clement
Ernie Clement was not only an All-Star, but he was also the American League's leading vote-getter for the Midsummer Classic. Clement ended the first half hitting .296 with a .751 OPS, and while him being the leading vote-getter was a bit much, he was certainly performing as one of the best second basemen in the American League. He's been anything but that down the stretch.
Clement has slashed .218/.253/.272 with one home run in the second half. His 42 wRC+ in the second half is the third-worst among 167 qualified hitters. Clement has become a fan favorite in Toronto largely because of his historic postseason run last October, and he can re-cement his standing with Jays fans by finishing the season strong and helping guide the team to the playoffs, where anything can happen.
RHP Jose Soriano
While the Blue Jays sold some veteran talent at the trade deadline, they also made a major win-now move by acquiring Jose Soriano from the Angels. Soriano, a groundball pitcher, seemed like an ideal fit to pitch in front of an elite Blue Jays defense, but his 4.27 ERA in eight starts with Toronto is nearly a full run higher than his 3.29 mark in 22 starts with the Angels. His strikeout rate has plummeted in Toronto, and he's failed to complete five innings twice already after doing so just three times in roughly three times the starts in L.A.
His performance has been a bit lackluster since the trade, but all will be forgiven if Soriano can go out and dominate a Texas Rangers team the Blue Jays are in direct competition with for the final Wild Card spot. Soriano has a start in Texas and likely another one at home against the light-hitting Reds on the docket to finish out his season. If he can pitch well in both starts, the Jays should be able to stick around the hunt.
DH George Springer
Unlike the others on this list, George Springer has actually had a good second half, entering Thursday's action with a .304 average and an .840 OPS since the All-Star break. As encouraging as that is to see, is Springer's second half good enough to wipe away the rough memories that his first half brought? I mean, Springer entered the break slashing .218/.303/.374 with nine home runs and 22 RBI. His first-half OPS was nearly 200 points lower than his second-half mark.
Springer's strong second half has helped boost his numbers, but he still has a .744 OPS and a 111 wRC+, both of which are nowhere near the .959 OPS and 166 wRC+ he had in 2025. Nobody expected a repeat of Springer's unexpected MVP-caliber 2025 campaign, but there was reason to expect better than this. If Springer's second-half hot streak can carry them into October, though, it'll be tough to hold his first half against him at all.
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