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The Toronto Blue Jays will use an opener ahead of struggling Eric Lauer.

The Toronto Blue Jays lineup will not include struggling left-hander Eric Lauer on Friday, April 17, against the Arizona Diamondbacks, with the club instead handing the ball to Braydon Fisher, reports Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.

The Blue Jays’ lineup change comes after Lauer was tagged for seven earned runs in 5.1 innings against the Minnesota Twins in a 7-4 loss. The lefty’s ERA jumped to a ghastly 7.82 after the outing. Lauer allowed two home runs and five walks in the defeat.

Toronto has dropped four of the last five games. The team secured an extra-inning victory in the first game of the series against the Milwaukee Brewers to open the week. The Blue Jays lost the next two matchups. Their record sits at 7-11 for the season, tied for last in the AL East.

Toronto Blue Jays Lineup Update: Eric Lauer Will Not Start Against Arizona Diamondbacks

GettyEric Lauer took the loss against the Minnesota Twins.

Lauer’s record stands at 1-2 after the loss to the Twins. He knocked off the Athletics in his season debut before falling to the Chicago White Sox in his follow-up performance. Lauer was apparently sick in the series against Chicago. His start was pushed back a day due to illness. He only lasted two innings and 49 pitches in that appearance.

There’s a solid chance Lauer comes in relief behind Fisher against the Diamondbacks. The opener approach with Fisher would allow Lauer to duck some of the better hitters in the Arizona lineup, including Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, and Geraldo Perdomo. The veteran lefty would be given a better chance to succeed by entering the game to face the bottom half of the order.

Lauer did not open the season in Toronto’s rotation. He was heading for a bullpen role, which he was miffed about in the preseason. The Blue Jays suffered several injuries on the pitching side to open the door for Lauer. Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, and Jose Berrios all opened the year on the injured list. Cody Ponce soon followed, tearing his ACL in his first start. The rash of maladies propelled Lauer into a starting role.

Fisher Makes First Start of 2026

Fisher was a crucial member of Toronto’s bullpen last season. He tossed 50 innings across 52 appearances and delivered a strong 2.70 ERA. The righty posted a 30.7% strikeout rate and a 9.4% walk rate. Fisher was almost exclusively used as a reliever, but he did make one start in his rookie year. It went … poorly. The Athletics hammered Fisher for five earned runs in 1.1 innings. The Blue Jays would actually go on to win the game thanks to a two-homer game from outfielder George Springer.

While Fisher’s first attempt as an opener didn’t go well for him personally, it worked swimmingly for the pitcher who followed. Easton Lucas came in and delivered 4.2 scoreless frames. He would end up as the winning pitcher after Toronto took the lead while he was still in the game. Brendon Little and Yariel Rodriguez combined for two scoreless innings. Closer Jeff Hoffman secured the save.