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This season hasn't gone the way the Toronto Blue Jays envisioned when pitchers and catchers reported to spring training in February.
The Blue Jays were coming off their first American League pennant since 1993 and made it all the way to Game 7 of the World Series against back-to-back champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, before losing in extra innings in the final game of the series.
This season, those expectations haven't come to fruition and a large part of it is due to the amount of injuries Toronto has.
The Blue Jays have several players from all over the field, including the starting rotation, infield, outfield and at catcher, currently out or have missed time this season.
This has forced several Toronto players to step up in place of the ones currently out. Alternatively, there's also players who entered 2026 with minimum expectations who needed to exceed them to keep the Blue Jays afloat.
Two of those players, outfielders Jesus Sanchez and Yohendrick Pinango, are two such players who have performed well for Toronto this season. Both stepped up in a game against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday.
Tuesday marked the second of a three-game series between the Blue Jays and Marlins. Toronto was routed in game one of the series 8-2 on Monday, adding insult to injury on a day in which ace pitcher Dylan Cease landed on the injured list.
The Blue Jays entered the bottom of the sixth inning against the Marlins holding on to a narrow 2-1 lead.
Toronto broke open the game with a six-run bottom of the sixth, in which Sanchez and Pinango both hit home runs.
Sanchez's blast was a two-out grand slam that resulted in the eventual final of 8-1. It was Sanchez's first career grand slam.
Pinango's blast was a lead-off solo homer to center field on an 0-2 count that bolstered the Blue Jays' lead to 3-1.
Toronto is Sanchez's third team in less than a year. He was traded from his original team to the Houston Astros on July 31, 2025, and was dealt by the Astros to the Blue Jays on Feb. 13 in return for outfielder Joey Loperfido.
Sanchez had a disappointing year in 2025 and finished with a .699 OPS across 134 games with Miami and Houston.
This season, the 28-year-old, who's in his third year of arbitration, is putting together a career-best season. He's slashed .285/.324/.462 with a .786 OPS in 53 games this season. He's hit 10 doubles and six homers with 27 RBIs.
Pinango has played in 25 games this season, his first in the major leagues, filling in for injured outfielder Addison Barger.
In his first stint in the major leagues, Pinango has slashed .303/.338/.434 with a .772 OPs and has hit four doubles and two homers with 12 RBIs.
Remember to join our BLUE JAYS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Blue Jays fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!
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The Blue Jays were coming off their first American League pennant since 1993 and made it all the way to Game 7 of the World Series against back-to-back champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, before losing in extra innings in the final game of the series.
This season, those expectations haven't come to fruition and a large part of it is due to the amount of injuries Toronto has.
The Blue Jays have several players from all over the field, including the starting rotation, infield, outfield and at catcher, currently out or have missed time this season.
This has forced several Toronto players to step up in place of the ones currently out. Alternatively, there's also players who entered 2026 with minimum expectations who needed to exceed them to keep the Blue Jays afloat.
Two of those players, outfielders Jesus Sanchez and Yohendrick Pinango, are two such players who have performed well for Toronto this season. Both stepped up in a game against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday.
Tuesday marked the second of a three-game series between the Blue Jays and Marlins. Toronto was routed in game one of the series 8-2 on Monday, adding insult to injury on a day in which ace pitcher Dylan Cease landed on the injured list.
The Blue Jays entered the bottom of the sixth inning against the Marlins holding on to a narrow 2-1 lead.
Toronto broke open the game with a six-run bottom of the sixth, in which Sanchez and Pinango both hit home runs.
Sanchez's blast was a two-out grand slam that resulted in the eventual final of 8-1. It was Sanchez's first career grand slam.
Pinango's blast was a lead-off solo homer to center field on an 0-2 count that bolstered the Blue Jays' lead to 3-1.
Toronto is Sanchez's third team in less than a year. He was traded from his original team to the Houston Astros on July 31, 2025, and was dealt by the Astros to the Blue Jays on Feb. 13 in return for outfielder Joey Loperfido.
Sanchez had a disappointing year in 2025 and finished with a .699 OPS across 134 games with Miami and Houston.
This season, the 28-year-old, who's in his third year of arbitration, is putting together a career-best season. He's slashed .285/.324/.462 with a .786 OPS in 53 games this season. He's hit 10 doubles and six homers with 27 RBIs.
Pinango has played in 25 games this season, his first in the major leagues, filling in for injured outfielder Addison Barger.
In his first stint in the major leagues, Pinango has slashed .303/.338/.434 with a .772 OPs and has hit four doubles and two homers with 12 RBIs.
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Remember to join our BLUE JAYS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Blue Jays fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!
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