Dylan Cease was placed on the 15-day injured list with a mild left hamstring strain, and the Blue Jays selected Tanner Andrews to replace him. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also missed Monday’s starting lineup against the Miami Marlins due to soreness after he was hit
By Monday night, the Toronto Blue Jays were already working around more than one wound.
Starter Dylan Cease was placed on the 15-day injured list with a mild left hamstring strain. a move manager John Schneider said was made with one priority in mind: keeping the injury from turning into something worse. Speaking to reporters Monday, Schneider said, “It doesn’t look too terrible, knock on wood. Just trying to be smart and not have it get worse. Don’t know the exact timeline yet … hoping it’s a minimal stay.”.
The timing is brutal for an already battered rotation. Cease was scheduled to start Friday against the Baltimore Orioles, and Toronto will still need someone to cover his spot before then.
To fill the immediate gap, the Blue Jays selected right-hander Tanner Andrews to the MLB roster. Andrews, 30, has thrown 20 innings for triple-A Buffalo in 2026, posting five saves and a 1.35 ERA. He signed a minor-league deal with Toronto in November after previously spending time in the Miami. San Francisco and Minnesota organizations.
The day’s second hit came with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. not in the starting lineup for Monday’s game against the Miami Marlins. Guerrero has been dealing with soreness after being hit on the inside of his right elbow on Sunday.
Schneider said, “See how he feels as the day goes on. But (I) didn’t want to push it with him, just in talking to him last night and today.”
Guerrero has struggled this season in more ways than one. He has only three home runs and owns a .758 OPS, far below his career mark of .856. Even with a small recent streak—he reached base for a fourth consecutive game on Sunday—he still hasn’t found the extra-base power that has defined him. Over that span, he recorded four singles and five walks.
Cease’s injury adds another layer to what happened on the mound last weekend. The hamstring issue was traced back to Sunday’s showdown against the Pittsburgh Pirates, when Cease exited the game in the fifth inning with an apparent injury suffered while throwing a pitch.
After striking out Jared Triolo with an outside slider for the first out of the inning. Cease drew a visit on the mound from Schneider and team trainers. Cease, 30, appeared to be trying to shake out his legs as he threw a few warmup pitches. He stayed in the game long enough to induce a lineout from Spencer Horwitz and throw two pitches to Brandon Lowe. but was eventually removed mid-at-bat after 4.2 innings.
In all, Cease allowed two earned runs—coming on solo homers from Horwitz and Oneil Cruz—and struck out eight.
Even with this new setback, the numbers show why Toronto will feel the loss more sharply. Cease arrived as the Blue Jays’ crown-jewel off-season signing and has lived up to his seven-year, $210-million pricetag early on. As of Monday. he posted a 3.05 ERA and 1.120 WHIP in 11 starts with the side. and had an MLB-leading 92 strikeouts in 62.0 innings.
This IL placement isn’t happening in isolation for the Blue Jays. Cease hitting the injured list joins a growing list of rotation problems: Max Scherzer (forearm) and Shane Bieber (elbow) are working their way back from injury. while Jose Berrios (UCL) and Cody Ponce (ACL) are set to miss the 2026 campaign with long-term issues.
In the span of one day, Toronto has had to adjust not just a starting pitcher plan, but also its lineup and its day-to-day expectations—an ugly reminder that for a team already carrying plenty of uncertainty, injuries have a way of multiplying.
Toronto Blue Jays Dylan Cease injured list Tanner Andrews Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Miami Marlins Baltimore Orioles Pittsburgh Pirates MLB rotation injuries
15-day IL again, man. Seems like everyone’s always hurt.
So they put Cease on the list but he was supposed to pitch Friday? That’s wild timing. Also Guerrero getting hit and then “soreness” sounds like they’re just trying to avoid a bigger thing.
Tanner Andrews getting picked up like it’s no big deal… isn’t he the guy who used to play for Miami? I swear I read that somewhere. 20 innings in triple-A like that’s supposed to fix a rotation spot? Hope it works out though, idk.
“Doesn’t look too terrible” is what they always say right before it turns into a whole month. And Guerrero not in the lineup after getting hit in the elbow… I keep thinking it’s gonna end up worse, like elbow injuries never just go away. Also the rotation already battered like why are they even playing if every starter’s out. Just seems bad all around.