Blue Jays: Breaking down Eric Lauer’s struggles this season

Originally posted on Bluejaysnation | By Ben Wrixon | Last updated May 11, 2026 11:06 AM ET

Eric Lauer was unquestionably one of the most important members of the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays. He stabilized the starting rotation when it was ravaged by injuries, then later settled nicely into a bullpen role while posting the second-best bWAR on the team.

He finished the season with an excellent 3.18 ERA (134 ERA+) and 1.108 WHIP across 104 2/3 innings pitched. These stats were especially impressive considering Lauer delivered them in his return to MLB after a stint pitching abroad in the KBO.

Lauer’s 2026 debut suggested he would pick up right where he left off as he struck out nine batters over 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball against the Athletics on March 29th. Unfortunately, it’s been all downhill from there for the left-hander.

Flash forward six weeks, and Lauer is borderline unplayable. He owns a 1-5 record with a 6.69 ERA and 1.49 WHIP after getting shelled in Sunday’s 6-1 loss against the Los Angeles Angels. He was working as the “bulk guy” in that game, but hasn’t fared much better as a traditional starter.

So, this begs the question: what happened?

The first and most obvious issue with Lauer is that his velocity is down. He’s sitting at just 90.4 mph on his fastball in 2026 compared to 91.7 mph last year. He’s throwing his changeup, cutter, slider, and curveball all slower, too. Lauer has never been a velocity guy, but even command artists need some zip on their pitches to keep hitters honest.

Eric Lauer believes his main issue right now is making adjustments sooner to avoid the big first inning. He needs to have his best stuff immediately, not after settling in.

"It's got to be sooner. It's got to be earlier than that." #BlueJays

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) May 10, 2026

Lauer’s stuff isn’t as good as it was last year. He recorded a 94 stuff+ grade in 2025, but that number has tumbled to 87—13% below league average. Each of his four pitches grades worse than last year by this metric. His pitches simply haven’t been as effective.

While Lauer’s overall command still grades as average, he has experienced significant regression in his ability to locate his cutter and his changeup, two of his main weapons against right-handed batters. A score of 100 represents league average on this scale as well, and the location score on his cutter has dropped from 108 to 97. His changeup, meanwhile, has fallen from 84 to 76.

Some of this decline could be attributable to the weight Lauer lost when sick with the flu in early April. That was out of his control. Yet it’s been almost a month, and his stuff still isn’t ticking back up. The uncomfortable truth is that he might not get that lost velocity or sharpness back this season.

Pitchers need better command when their velocity is down. Lauer probably could get by with his current arsenal if he could locate his pitches as well as he did last year, but he just isn’t doing it right now. He’s getting hammered whenever he takes the mound, which isn’t giving the Blue Jays a chance to win.

Lauer’s contributions to the 2025 squad won’t soon be forgotten. But, with that said, it’s probably time for the Blue Jays to explore other options with some important games against division rivals coming up.

This article first appeared on Bluejaysnation and was syndicated with permission.

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