The Toronto Blue Jays have laid out their starting pitching plans for the rest of February.
John Schneider told reporters Monday in Dunedin, Fla., that Tuesday’s starter is still to be determined, but that Toronto’s starters line up for the week as follows:
Ponce’s outing on Wednesday will mark his first appearance in a Blue Jays uniform after signing a three-year, $30-million contract with Toronto in the off-season. The reigning KBO MVP is coming off a 2025 season in which he struck out 252 batters in 180.2 innings while carrying a 1.89 ERA.
He last pitched in MLB with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021 before continuing his career in Asia.
Gausman will return to the mound on Thursday (1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+) after fronting the Blue Jays’ rotation throughout their run to the World Series. The 35-year-old is entering the final season of his five-year contract. The veteran right-hander has a 3.59 ERA in the 2025 regular season and a 2.93 mark in the playoffs.
George Springer is also expected to make his first appearance in Grapefruit League play on Thursday against the Marlins, per Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling. It will also be Kazuma Okamoto’s final game before departing to join Team Japan for the World Baseball Classic.
Lauer and Berríos will make their second spring starts on Friday (1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+) and Saturday. Lauer opened the Blue Jays’ Grapefruit League schedule against the Phillies, working a scoreless first inning with one strikeout, and Berríos will start Monday against the New York Mets.
Blue Jays fans will also get their first look at the club’s biggest off-season addition on Saturday against the Phillies (1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+) when Dylan Cease takes the ball.
Cease, 30, signed a seven-year, $210-million deal with Toronto after spending his first seven seasons with the Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres. In 2025, the right-hander delivered a fifth straight season with 200 or more strikeouts, but saw his ERA jump to 4.55.
