Toronto Blue Jays News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Blue Jays Jesus Sanchez Experiment Needs To End

Mandatory Credit&colon; Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Blue Jays Jesus Sanchez Experiment Needs To End

Originally posted on Lindy's Sports | By Cole Shelton | Last updated Aug 20, 2026 1:08 PM ET

Add us as a preferred source on Google

The Toronto Blue Jays went out and acquired outfielder Jesus Sanchez from the Houston Astros this offseason for Joey Loperfido to add some more power to the lineup.

Sanchez was owed more money and had fewer years of control than Loperfido, but he added more power to Toronto’s lineup. It was a worthy gamble for the Blue Jays, who lost Bo Bichette in free agency and wanted to try to add more offense.

However, Sanchez’s bat hasn’t lived up to expectations, and his defense in the outfield is something you would see in Little League. Sanchez often misreads balls, and on August 19, he dropped two easy fly balls, resulting in at least five runs.

The Blue Jays ended up losing 7-6 to the Tampa Bay Rays, so that’s a game that Toronto wins without Sanchez in left field.

His bat also struggled, so he was removed from the game for Daz Cameron, who ended up going 1-for-2.

With the Blue Jays firmly in a playoff push, Toronto can’t afford to keep sending Sanchez out in left field if he can’t even catch a fly ball. The costly misplays led to runs for Tampa Bay and an eventual loss for Toronto.

The Blue Jays are now 1 game back of a Wild Card spot. So, every game matters come the end of the season, and Toronto can’t afford Sanchez costing them more runs and games with his poor play in the outfield.

Ultimately, Toronto has enough outfielders so that the team can DFA Sanchez and use Myles Straw, Brett Bateman, Nathan Lukes, and Cameron as their four outfielders.

George Springer, Charles McAdoo, and Josh Smith can also play the outfield in a pinch if needed.

With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. likely coming off the concussion IL on Friday, Sanchez should be the one to be removed from the roster and released from the organization, as he would be non-tendered this offseason anyway.

Blue Jays Manager Details Sanchez Blunder

Jun 22, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jesus Sanchez (12) ends up on the ground after trying to avoid a pitch against the Houston Astros during the third inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

After Toronto’s 7-6 loss to the Rays, Sanchez left the clubhouse before reporters came in, so he didn’t even answer for his two costly blunders, which looks even worse on him.

However, Max Scherzer, who started the game, was frustrated with the mistakes in the field by the Blue Jays. But he appears to wish Sanchez had stuck around to answer for his mistakes.

“I’m a team guy, I don’t sit here and point fingers and talk about other people’s mistakes. I talk about my mistakes, and I’m accountable when I stand here in front of myself and answer the mistakes that I made. I’m accountable for those,” Scherzer said postgame.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider, meanwhile, knows Tropicana Field is an odd place to play for defenders. However, he knows Sanchez needed to come up with those fly balls.

“The first one was weird, looked like it went over the catwalk a little bit,” said Schneider. “If you take your eye off the ball here, it’s tough to have to regather it or where you are. Kind of looked like he took his eye off it on the first one, and it’s tough to find it after that. The second one, I haven’t talked to him yet about it, but weird play coming in.”

Schneider continued, “I’m sure it’s a play he would have liked to have made and you’re sitting there two outs with Walls up in a 2-1 game, so you take your chances. But it looked like, again, kind of didn’t see it, or saw it and then didn’t see it, but yeah, you’ve got to check with him on what he saw, and it kind of unraveled from there.”

Regardless, after two costly mistakes and not answering about them, Sanchez’s time with the Blue Jays should be coming to an end once Guerrero is activated off the injured list this weekend.

Sanchez is hitting just .260 with 8 home runs and 33 RBIs, and is making $6.8 million this season and will be in line for a raise in arbitration if he is tendered a contract.

This article first appeared on Lindy's Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: