Blue Jays Reliever’s Brilliance Keeping Toronto in AL Wild Card Race

The Toronto Blue Jays shouldn't be defining their American League playoff hopes by their standing in the American League East.

They should be looking at the AL wild card standings, where they're less than a game behind the Minnesota Twins for the third spot.

It's an incredibly tight race for the AL’s three wild card berths, and even though it's only two months into the season the Blue Jays threatened to play their way out of that race with a slow start this season.

But, thanks to a solid May, including a finish in which the Blue Jays won five of their final six games, they’re over .500 and remaining on a path toward being a buyer at the trade deadline.

So, who’s to thank? Well, there are plenty of usual suspects. But in looking back at the month of May, reliever Brendon little deserves a tip of the hat for helping the Blue Jays stay on course toward a potential playoff berth.

Brendon Little’s Terrific Month for the Blue Jays

The bullpen has been a bit of a problem for the Blue Jays at times this season. Much of that has to do with injuries. Just this weekend, Toronto was able to activate reliever Erik Swanson, who should be able to bolster its middle relief.

But Little, the 28-year-old third-year pro who tends to labor in the shadows of this pitching staff, had an exceptional May, one so good that he may be one of the biggest reasons Toronto finished two games over .500 entering June.

In May, Little was as good as a reliever can be. He appeared in 12 games and had a 0.00 ERA (he gave up two unearned runs). He went 3-0, had four holds, pitched 13.1 innings and struck out 16 hitters against seven walks for a 10.8 K/9. He also allowed only six hits and finished with a 0.98 WHIP.

It adds up to an exceptional season for Little so far, who joined Toronto in 2024 after he was dealt to them by the Chicago Cubs for cash considerations. In 28 games this season he is 3-0 with a 1.37 ERA, with 37 strikeouts and 13 walks in 26.1 innings. He also has 10 holds.

His improvement over last season is astonishing. In 49 games last year he went 1-2 with a 3.74 ERA, with one save and seven holds. He struck out 36 and walked 19. He’s on pace to shatter every career high he’s set as a Major League reliever and feels like a dark horse selection for the American League All-Star team.

Little is finally making good on the promise he showed as a first-round pick of the 2017 MLB draft for the Cubs. It’s been a long time coming for the Bryn Mawn, Penn., native.