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The Toronto Blue Jays, winners of the American League pennant last season, have struggled to start the new campaign, and it came to light with their manager, John Schneider, Tuesday night at the Rogers Center.
Schneider was ejected during the Blue Jays’ game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who beat them in seven games in a 2025 World Series thriller.
Schneider challenged the refusal of his pitcher Kevin Gausman at the start of the fifth inning, when the Blue Jays were already down 2-0 in the game. The hesitant call allowed Hyeseong Kim to move from first to second base, and Schneider lost it.
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Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider yells at umpire Dan Merzel during the fifth inning of their MLB game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario on April 7, 2026. (Cole Burston/Getty Images)
Red-faced, Schneider leapt out of the dugout and faced home plate umpire Dan Merzel, who had called Gausman. Merzel quickly kicked Schneider out of the contest, but the veteran Blue Jays manager was going to get his money’s worth if he wasn’t allowed to return to the game.
Schneider was clearly furious, facing Merzel as he voiced his frustration. The heated argument lasted about 30 seconds before Schneider returned to the dugout and clubhouse.
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There are times when managers will be pushed out to motivate their players, especially if they are in a lull or struggling like the Blue Jays are set to open this season. It’s unclear if it was Schneider’s play, or if he couldn’t contain himself after a play he deemed legal by his pitcher.
If motivation was the end goal, Toronto fell short of it, as they fell to Los Angeles, 4-1, to fall to 4-7 on the season. In fact, Alex Freeland brought Kim home when play resumed after the ejection with an RBI single.
Much of the Blue Jays’ struggles can be blamed on a lack of depth, as key players are injured to start the season. Toronto also announced before Tuesday’s first pitch that starter Cody Ponce would likely be out for the remainder of the year with a torn ACL.
Kevin Gausman pitches for the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario on April 7, 2026. (Cole Burston/Getty Images)
The Blue Jays are also missing catcher Alejandro Kirk, pitchers Jose Berrios and Trey Yesavage and third baseman Addison Barger, among others. Anthony Santandar was also placed on the 60-day IL on April 5 due to a shoulder injury.
It doesn’t help that the Dodgers, who have had success early in the season, beat the Blue Jays on Monday night, 14-2.
“I don’t want the misfortune to be me, you know what I mean. What can we do now?” Schneider told reporters after Monday’s loss. “Right now, not only is our depth being tested, but our creativity as a group is being tested. How are we going to approach this? What are we going to do? It’s not always perfect, but we’re very proud of it and so are the players.”
Schneider added that his players were in a “good state of mind” despite some early difficulties. But it’s a marathon, not a sprint, in a 162-game MLB season. The Blue Jays know this and they will have to continue to move forward and get creative, as Schneider said, to right the ship.
John Schneider of the Toronto Blue Jays returns to his dugout after a pitching change during the second inning of a spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Florida on February 27, 2026. (Mark Taylor/Getty Images)
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Perhaps the fiery ejection was one of those creative moments for the manager. We’ll see if this leads to any changes in the future.
