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Toronto Blue Jays Give Opening Day Roster Spots to Trio of Players on Saturday

As the Blue Jays prepare to head north for the opener, Davis Schneider, Tyler Heineman and Nick Sandlin will be coming with them.

Brady Farkas

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Nick Sandlin (52) throws a pitch against the Boston Red Sox in the fourth inning during spring training at TD Ballpark on March 6.
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Nick Sandlin (52) throws a pitch against the Boston Red Sox in the fourth inning during spring training at TD Ballpark on March 6. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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According to a report from Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, a trio of Toronto Blue Jays players made the Opening Day roster on Saturday.

Tyler Heineman and Davis Schneider have made the #BlueJays, John Schneider says.

Nick Sandlin in the bullpen, too.

The 26-year-old Schneider is heading into the third year of his big-league career, all with Toronto. He burst onto the scene in 2023, hitting eight home runs in just 35 games and producing a 1.8 WAR. However, he regressed in 2024, hitting only .191 in 135 games with 13 homers and 46 RBI. It's unclear what role he'll play for the Jays right now, but he is a utility guru, able to play second, third and the outfield.

The 33-year-old Heineman has spent parts of five years in the majors with the Miami Marlins, San Francisco Giants, Blue Jays, Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox. A career .212 hitter, he'll assume the backup catcher's job behind Alejandro Kirk. He played seven total games in the majors a season ago. He has one career home run and 15 RBIs.

The 28-year-old Sandlin was picked up by the Jays this offseason after a very solid season in Cleveland last year. He went 8-0 out of the bullpen with a 3.75 ERA, making 68 appearances. A four-year veteran, he's 19-8 lifetime.

He should help improve a Blue Jays' pen that really struggled in 2024. In addition to Sandlin, the team also added Jeff Hoffman and Yimi Garcia to that unit.

The Blue Jays open the season on March 27 at home against the Baltimore Orioles.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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