The Toronto Blue Jays made multiple roster moves amid injuries affecting their major league roster. Left-hander Eric Lauer was designated for assignment and later traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, another team dealing with rotation injuries. Lauer struggled in 2026 after a strong 2025 season with Toronto. In mid-April, he criticized the team’s use of an opener before his starts, saying he hated it and that it disrupted his routine and timing. John Schneider responded by emphasizing that the decision-making about how Lauer is used is above Lauer’s pay grade, and that Schneider’s job is to place him in situations to succeed while the team works to win and execute.
""It's definitely different. To be real blunt, I hate it. I can't stand it," Lauer told the Jays beat back in mid-April. "You work with what you got. Part of it, too, we're trying to mix some things up. We're trying to find ways to win, so I think it's a game plan we had, and I think we went out there and tried to execute the best we could... That's really all you can do... It messes with your pre-game routine... We're creatures of habit. It changes the rhythm and routine. It's a little harder to time things out... You can make it work the best you can. Hopefully, it's not something that we will continue doing. But that's above my pay grade.""
""I respect everyone's opinion," Schneider told the beat. "I know the end of his quote was, 'It's above my pay grade,' and it definitely is above his pay grade as to how we use him. We're trying to win, you know what I mean? My job is to put him in spots to try to have success. That's what I try to do. He's aware of that. He gets that. Anyone who's been bounced around a little bit, he wants to start, I get it. But he's on board with us just trying to win and, go out and execute until we take the ball from you, big fella, and do it again the nex"
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