Davis

Schneider

Schneider gets the boot from the active roster with Nathan Lukes (hamstring) ready to rejoin from the 10-day injured list. The 27-year-old has scuffled mightily to begin 2026 as seen in a .127 average over 71 at-bats, and while it seems likely he’ll be back at some point, it’s hard to see him being a relevant player in 2026.

Clement is dealing with strep throat, so it’s probably for the best if he practices some social isolation to prevent it from spreading around Toronto’s clubhouse. The 30-year-old infielder is available off the bench, if needed, with Davis Schneider getting into the lineup at second base in his place.

It’s a rare day off for the 29-year-old slugger who has become a fixture in the middle of the Jays’ lineup. Okamoto is hitting .239/.326/.459 with 10 long balls and 27 RBI through his first 181 plate appearances in the big leagues. Ernie Clement will slide over and cover third base while Davis Schneider starts at second base and will bat ninth for the Jays.

Schneider is hitting .143/.324/.250 on the season and hasn’t started against a righty since Apr. 26. One wonders if he might be tracking for a Triple-A demotion if the Jays start getting healthy. Lenyn Sosa is getting more starts than Schneider and hitting higher in the lineup when both play versus lefties. He’s at second base and batting fifth tonight.

It looks to be a regular day of rest for the 27-year-old infielder. Ernie Clement will cover shortstop and bat leadoff in his absence while Davis Schneider will make a start at second base and bat eighth for the Jays against Guardians’ right-hander Slade Cecconi.

Lukes started each of the team’s four previous games in right field, but he’ll take a seat in this one against Diamondbacks’ right-hander Michael Soroka. Davis Schneider will start in his place and will bat leadoff for the Jays on Friday evening.

Springer, who was DHing today, fouled a ball off his foot in his second at-bat and then didn’t come back out for his third. The Jays quickly announced that his toe was fractured, so he’ll likely miss at least a few weeks. This could get Eloy Jiménez back to the majors; after a nice spring, he’s hit .281/.368/.406 through 10 games in Triple-A. If the Jays don’t want to make room on their 40-man roster, their only option would be to call up Jonatan Clase. In that case, Davis Schneider and Myler Straw could share Springer’s at-bats. Straw replaced him today.

Okamoto takes a seat after striking out four times during Friday’s contest against the White Sox. Ernie Clement takes over at the hot corner with Davis Schneider at the keystone. The 29-year-old third baseman is hitting .250 (11-for-50) with two homers and three RBI through 13 games in his first exposure to the majors.

It’s not uncommon for managers to try to get their bench players into the lineup at least once in the early stages of the season, which is presumably why Straw will get a shot to face Athletics lefty Jeffrey Springs in this one. Barger sat occasionally against southpaws last year and that figures to be the arrangement against this season with both Straw and Davis Schneider, who is in left field in place of Nathan Lukes on Saturday afternoon, on the bench as platoon options in right field.

Okamoto immediately slots into the heart of Toronto’s loaded lineup as the defending American League champions open their spring exhibition schedule. The 29-year-old infielder brings an extensive track record of success in Japan as a power-oriented bat with solid contact skills, a profile that should make his transition to the majors less volatile than most international imports. He’s been going outside the top 275 picks on average in NFBC drafts since early February, making him an intriguing late-round flyer for fantasy managers. Here is the full lineup: Ernie Clement (2B), Andrés Giménez (SS), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B), Alejandro Kirk (C), Addison Barger (RF, Okamoto (3B), Daulton Varsho (DH), Davis Schneider (LF), Nathan Lukes (CF).