Schneider has just one hit in his 15 at-bats over 10 games, although he has gotten on base at a decent .333 clip thanks to five walks and a hit-by-pitch. The 26-year-old will almost assuredly be back for Toronto at some point, but for now the Blue Jays will look to a different option off the bench. That player will be announced before Friday’s game against the Mariners.

With the Blue Jays facing left-hander MacKenzie Gore, they will go with a righty-heavy outfield with Schneider in left field and Myles Straw in center field. Both Nathan Lukes and Alan Roden will move to the bench.

It seems like a laughably simple concept, but the jump from the minors to MLB pitching leads to many shifts in pitches a hitter believes he’s able to do damage on. Schneider had to recalibrate his approach after struggling in 2024. “Going back to old-school stuff,” explained Schneider. “Straight to [the ball], try not to do too much, trying not to lift it, hit a hard-line drive. I’m still going to be pull-heavy. If I hit the ball, it’s mostly going to be in the air. That’s kind of me. But trying to get back to low and hard, really, not groundballs, but just low line drives.” That new approach has also come with a new stance that has his hands higher so that he can stay on top of the ball. That has led Schneider to hit .333 this spring with two home runs and a 10/9 K/BB ratio in 14 games. It could also cause him to push for regular DH at-bats when Anthony Santander is in left field, making Schneider a worthwhile gamble in deeper formats.

Schneider’s first two months in the big leagues at the end of 2023 were awesome, and his first two months of last season were also quite good. After that, though, he struggled mightily to put the bat on the ball for the final four months of last season, coming in at .159/.234/.264 in 273 plate appearances. It looks like he’s penciled in for a spot on Toronto’s bench anyway, but he’ll probably be limited to occasional starts against lefties early on.