Blue Jays set to activate Lazaro Estrada after strong Buffalo rehab
Estrada struck out 13 across five Buffalo rehab outings, including three perfect relief innings, and Toronto is ready to see if that plays in the majors.
Lazaro Estrada’s Buffalo rehab did exactly what Toronto needed: it showed a right-hander coming back with missing bats and enough innings to matter. Over five appearances for Triple-A Buffalo, Estrada worked 11.2 to 12.1 innings, struck out 13 and also delivered three perfect innings in relief, a strong sign the Blue Jays are getting more than a placeholder when they activate him from the 60-day injured list.
Estrada, 27, had been sidelined by a right shoulder impingement that sent him to the injured list on April 5 before Toronto moved him to the 60-day IL on May 28. That timeline mattered because the Blue Jays have been forced to juggle a pitching staff hit by multiple injuries, and Estrada’s return gives them another arm who has already shown he can miss bats against live competition.
The Buffalo assignment also answered the biggest roster question around him: what exactly is he right now? Estrada worked as both a starter and a reliever during the rehab stint, beginning in the rotation before shifting to the bullpen. That versatility is the real takeaway from Buffalo. He did not just survive the rehab trail; he handled multiple roles, which gives Toronto a possible multi-inning bullpen option immediately while keeping open the possibility that he can still work back into a starting mix.
Toronto has room to bring him back after Yariel Rodríguez and Connor Seabold were designated for assignment, and Estrada still has a couple options remaining. He is also one of five rotation options on the club’s 60-day injured list, which underlines how much depth the Blue Jays have had to rebuild on the fly.
Estrada’s path has been a steady climb. Born in Ciudad Habana, Cuba, he signed with Toronto as an international free agent in 2018 and entered the 2025 season as the organization’s 26th-ranked prospect. He made his major-league debut on July 5, 2025, and his only big-league appearance this season was a four-inning bullpen-game outing on April 4. After Buffalo’s strikeout totals and workload, Toronto finally has a clearer read on him: this is not just a healthy arm returning, but a pitcher who may be ready to help right away.
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