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Blue Jays Shouldn’t Worry About Final Man Nathan Lukes

  • Edgar Chaput's Author profile. Edgar Chaput

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Just before the regular season began, Toronto gave the final spot on its 26-player roster to right fielder and Sacramento native Nathan Lukes. The 28-year-old, who is getting his first crack at playing in the majors, has participated in 14 contests thus far but produced only a single hit.

Should the Blue Jays be concerned?

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MLB 2023 - Will They Make The Playoffs - Toronto Blue Jays

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  • Yes -294
  • No +208

Nathan Lukes is Not the Blue Jays’ Problem

The subject has come up in some circles. Fair enough, one hit isn’t very impressive, but John Gibbons puts it into context with no “ifs” “buts” or “maybes.”

“If we’re worried about that then we’re focusing on the wrong things. It’s hard to get production of that guy because he’s not playing much.”

To “Gibby’s” point, Lukes has only been called into action 14 times so far. Furthermore, while that stat looks bad, the fact of the matter is that he’s only been at bat six times. On the flip side, he’s shown enough good pitch judgement to be walked twice and he’s scored twice to boot.

“Will say this. If your team is worried about that you’re probably not in real good shape.”

Once again, the former manager’s wisdom is food for thought. If there are fans out there questioning Nathan Lukes’ worth on the roster, it could be because Toronto’s overall season – nearly two months in – hasn’t gone according to the script. For a club that made the playoffs last year and had high hopes for 2023, they sit in last place in the AL East with a 25-23 record. Some positive vibes have been lessoned after some brutal sweeps suffered both on the road and at home in recent weeks.

Alek Manoah hasn’t met expectations, Jose Berrios’ 4.61 ERA doesn’t make games he starts easy to win, Daulton Varsho’s .207 batting average isn’t wowing anyone, and George Springer (.247) is a bit off pace compared to previous seasons. At the time of writing, Toronto has conceded at least six runs in six of their last eight contests.