Hoffman's Struggles: Blue Jays' Closer Role in Question

0:00On April 23rd, Jeff Hoffman is facing heat as the Toronto Blue Jays closer early in the 2026 season. The 33-year-old has three blown saves matching his three successful ones with a rough 7.59 ERA over 12 appearances. He's given up nine earned runs, 16 hits, and 8 walks in just 10.2 innings. His last four outings have been brutal, allowing seven earned runs, 8 hits, and 4 walks in three innings. On Tuesday night, things got tense when Hoffman let in a run and loaded the bases with one out in the ninth. That's when Louie Varlin came in, needing just one pitch for a double play to not just first career save. Blue Jays fans have been on Hoffman since that World Series Homer he gave up last year, and manager John Schneider is feeling the pressure too. Schneider says the re-evaluate Hoffman's role, but isn't ready to pull the plug on him in the ninth. Hoffman still brings the heat with strikeouts, ranking third among relievers with 24Ks, averaging over 20 per 9 innings and

1:00fanning, 42% of batters. But when guys may contact, it's ugly, with a sky high batting average on balls and play. Changing closers isn't simple though, since it shakes up the whole bull pin. Varlin's versatile, handling 7th-8th in 9th innings in tough spots, and swapping him full-time could leave gaps elsewhere with guys like Braden Fisher or Tyler Rogers. The Jays might give Hoffman more runway before deciding. Baseball news, powered by AI, this is MLB News Today. I'm Corey with the story.