Blue Jays staying in Buffalo through at least July 21

Less than a week after Toronto Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro suggested the team could potentially play home games back at Rogers Centre in Toronto later this season for the first time Sept. 29, 2019, the Blue Jays announced Monday that Buffalo's Sahlen Field will continue to be their home park through at least July 21. 

According to The Associated Press (h/t ESPN), the Blue Jays have released tickets for upcoming home contests that include post-All-Star Game matchups against the Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox. Previously, the Blue Jays were only scheduled to call Buffalo home through July 4. 

Toronto opened the campaign hosting opponents at its spring training facility in Dunedin, Fla. and relocated to Buffalo at the start of this month as the border that separates the United States and Canada remains closed to non-essential travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, stories emerged Sunday that the Canadian government approved a travel exemption for the closing rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs that will allow NHL personnel to travel between the countries without isolating for 14 days. 

Shapiro told reporters last week talks between Blue Jays officials and the Canadian government about the club's return to the country had recently become "certainly more positive," but it remains unknown when or if the franchise could be cleared to operate out of Toronto as normal this year.