Blue Jays DFA pitcher Eric Lauer, Addison Barger back on IL

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From pouting to poor outings, from griping about his role with the team, to giving up far too many home runs, the Blue Jays had seen enough of pitcher Eric Lauer.

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And now, an arm so central to the team’s championship run of a year ago is gone, a quarter of the way into ths season. Perhaps even with an element of good riddance.

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The volatility that has troubled the Blue Jays roster for much of this uneven season has struck once again on Monday — and did so with a couple of blockbuster moves from the 18-22 team.

Disgruntled lefty Lauer, was designated for assignment after yet another rough outing in Sunday’s 6-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. The team also has to weather another offensive blow, sending Addison Barger back to the injury list, with an elbow ailment, two days after returning from an ankle injury.

For Lauer though, when he couldn’t back up his whining with big-league outs, his days were numbered.

The Jays gave him every opportunity to rediscover his form, but even with slim pickings in the starting department, couldn’t stomach more after his latest rough outing.

“Results,” manager John Schneider said of the reason behind delivering the news to Lauer on Monday “Tough, tough conversation, because of what he did last year . I know we were back and forth with him this year, ‘pen, starting. Just felt we needed to go in a different direction. That was it.”

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What happened to Eric Lauer?

Lauer, in many ways a saviour to the Jays rotation when injuries ravaged it last year, fell out of favour in dramatic fashion in 2026. It began when he took the team to salary arbitration in the off-season, lost his case and then griped about it during spring training.

Who knows what’s in the head of an athlete  – Lauer was nowhere to be seen in the Jays clubhouse when it opened to the media on Monday – but neither side has been on the same page for months now.

It’s pretty clear, then, that his sourness at least in part contributed to Monday’s move, which the manager said caught Lauer “off guard.”

“We talked about that pretty openly with him,” Schneider said, prior to the opener of a three-game series against the AL East leading Rays. “Whether it was arbitration, contract or role. We stayed in front of it with him.

“You like to think (the drama) wouldn’t affect a guy, but you never know how guys are feeling. I hope that wasn’t part of it.

“This is a business. If it doesn’t go your way, you gotta be a big boy and move on. Go out and compete.”

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After battling the flu in the early going, Lauer struggled to match his 2025 form and his troubles escalated. When he expressed his displeasure with having to follow an opener during a game last month, the spiral accelerated as Lauer complained, words that didn’t sit well.

The bottom line was just as bad – or worse – than the disconnect with Lauer, which Schneider maintains was the main reason behind the move.

His velocity had dipped, muting his effectiveness and he had difficulty keeping the baseball in the park with opposing hitters. With a 1-5 record, his ERA has ballooned to 6.69. The 11 homers he allowed in eight games spoke volumes.

It got to the point, performance-wise, where the Jays coaching staff simply couldn’t trust Lauer to deliver. Placing an opener in front of him – as they did on Sunday – was to protect Lauer (and the team, for that matter) from himself.

“It’s tough to go out and execute at a high level when your stuff is down,” Schneider said. “It makes a lot of sense that it’s either going to be starting and a quick hook or give him a softer landing spot.”

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What about Addison Barger and the offence?

It was nice to have Barger back for a game, but that lethal, 101.2 mile per hour throw from the outfield on Saturday has damaged his elbow for at least the immediate future. He was placed on the 10-day IL with that the team described as elbow inflammation, and was to get a cortisone shot to help the healing.

It was hoped that his return to the lineup would provide a much needed power. Instead, he will have to return to nurse that elbow back to shape. Removed from the starting lineup on Sunday, the outfielder had an MRI, the results of which led to Monday’s decision.

“Ya, he’s pissed,” Schneider acknowledged. “For him and a lot of guys, it’s been a frustrating start to the year. It was nice to get him back. We’ll just have to wait a couple more days or a couple of weeks.”

So what do the Blue Jays do now?

In terms of filling the roster spots, righty Yariel Rodriguez was summoned from triple-A Buffalo to take Lauer’s spot. Outfielder Yohendrick Pinango, sent down when Barger returned, was recalled and in Monday’s lineup.

In terms of the rotation, with Max Scherzer and Jose Berrios nowhere near ready to return, Schneider said the team will look at “external options.” The manager also mentioned Chad Dallas and CJ Van Eyk was possibilities for promotion from triple A.

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