Hoffman (4-4) took the loss Saturday as the Blue Jays fell 6-5 to the Orioles, coughing up five runs on three hits and two walks in only one-third of an inning. He struck out one.
After Louis Varland got the call in the eighth inning to face Baltimore's 2-3-4 hitters and protect a 4-1 lead, Toronto tacked on another run in the top of the ninth before handing the ball to Hoffman. Hoffman struck out Samuel Basallo to begin the frame but then unraveled after plunking Coby Mayo, with the final two runs on his ledger coming after he'd been replaced by Connor Seabold. After six straight scoreless appearances that included two wins, two saves and a hold, Hoffman seems no more trustworthy in high-leverage spots than he did when he was removed from the closer role in late April. Following Saturday's disaster, he sits with a 6.31 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and 45:10 K:BB through 25.2 innings on the season.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Earns another win
Rotowire
Hoffman (4-3) earned the win Thursday against the Orioles after tossing a scoreless seventh inning, allowing one hit and striking out two.
Hoffman allowed a two-out single to Jackson Holliday, who then stole second base, but he ended the threat by striking out Blaze Alexander. Hoffman has two wins, two saves and a hold over his last five appearances, allowing zero runs and posting a 9:0 K:BB across five innings, and the right-hander owns a 2.84 ERA across 12.2 innings (13 appearances) since the beginning of May. That's a step in the right direction compared to the 6.39 ERA he posted over March and April.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Collects win Wednesday
Rotowire
Hoffman (3-3) picked up the win over the Marlins on Wednesday, giving up two hits in 1.1 scoreless innings. He struck out two without walking a batter.
The right-hander entered the game with two outs in the sixth inning and got helped along by Tyler Heineman's arm -- the catcher threw out two of three would-be base stealers while Hoffman was on the mound. Hoffman has recorded a win, hold or save in four straight appearances, posting a 0.00 ERA and 7:0 K:BB in four innings during that span as he attempts to turn his season around. Per Mitch Bannon of The Athletic, Hoffman credits his recent success with increased slider usage to match the pitch mix he employed with the Phillies in 2023-24, his most dominant years as a reliever. He still carries a 4.81 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in 24.1 innings on the year, however, and he's unlikely to regain the closer role as long as Louis Varland remains effective.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Records save Saturday
Rotowire
Hoffman notched a save against the Pirates on Saturday, striking out all three batters he faced in a scoreless inning.
Hoffman entered in the ninth inning with Toronto holding a three-run lead and dominated with three punchouts, throwing nine of 13 pitches for strikes. The save was Hoffman's second in the past three days after he lost his hold on the closer role in late April. Louis Varland has since taken up that mantle and has thrived, but he was presumably unavailable Saturday after tossing two frames en route to a save Friday. With that in mind, Hoffman probably isn't a reliable target for saves moving forward, though he's pitched relatively well in May, giving up four earned runs while recording a 13:1 K:BB over 10.1 innings spanning 11 appearances.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Steps up for fourth save
Rotowire
Hoffman secured the save Thursday against the Yankees, striking out two in a clean ninth inning.
Closer Louis Varland worked each of the past two days for the Blue Jays, opening the door for Hoffman to claim his first save opportunity since April 20. The 33-year-old right-hander should remain a stable source of holds in fantasy leagues that count them, but Varland has allowed only a pair of earned runs across 25.2 innings this year and has pulled away as Toronto's preferred closer. Through 22 frames, Hoffman has converted just four of his seven save chances to go with a 5.32 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 37:8 K:BB.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Adapting well to setup duties
Rotowire
Hoffman struck out two in a perfect seventh inning Tuesday to record his third hold of the season in a win over the Red Sox.
The right-hander has collected holds in three straight appearances with a 4:1 K:BB in 2.1 innings over that span, although the first of those outings was the one that encouraged the Blue Jays to finally remove him from the closer role in favor of Louis Varland. A prolonged stretch of success for Hoffman could allow him to regain ninth-inning duties, but Varland isn't doing anything yet to suggest he's going to give the job back. Hoffman may simply be better equipped mentally for a setup role -- he thrived in that assignment with the Phillies in 2023-24 before signing with the Jays in free agency, racking up 32 holds with a 2.28 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 11.98 K/8 in those two seasons.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Drops into closer committee
Rotowire
GM Ross Atkins announced Friday that Hoffman could still see occasional save chances but will no longer be the primary closer as the Blue Jays shift to a committee approach, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Manager John Schneider was noncommittal about Hoffman as Toronto's closer earlier this week after the reliever near blew his fourth save of the season, so it's not a major surprise the club is making a change. It doesn't appear to be a full demotion for the 33-year-old right-hander, who recorded 33 saves with a 4.37 ERA during the 2025 regular season, but it also wouldn't be surprising for him to get some work in lower-leverage spots. Hoffman has surrendered nine earned runs with a 24:6 K:BB across 10.2 innings this year. Louis Varland was the only other player mentioned as a potential closer, but the Blue Jays are also expected to utilize some other arms for the ninth inning.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Nearly blows game for Toronto
Rotowire
Hoffman hit two batters and allowed one run on two hits while striking out a batter during the Blue Jays' 4-2 win over the Angels on Tuesday.
Hoffman got the call to protect the Blue Jays' 4-1 lead in the ninth. He started the inning strongly by striking out Zach Neto, but the right-hander's night quickly turned for the worse. Hoffman yielded a single to Mike Trout before hitting the next two batters he faced. Blue Jays manager John Schneider saw enough after his closer gave up an RBI single to Yoan Moncada, turning to Louis Varland to close things out -- which he did on just one pitch that produced a double play. Hoffman wasn't charged with a blown save, but the fact he was pulled from a high-leverage situation is not a good sign for his job security as Toronto's closer. He sits at a 7.59 ERA, 2.06 WHIP and 24:6 K:BB across 10.2 innings.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Fans three in third save
Rotowire
Hoffman notched a save against the Angels on Monday, allowing one hit and striking out three batters over a scoreless inning of work.
Hoffman entered with a three-run lead in the ninth inning and gave up a single to the first batter he faced. However, the right-hander proceeded to strike out the following three hitters to close out the contest. This was a much-needed performance for Hoffman after he picked up a loss and a blown save while yielding six runs over 1.2 innings across his previous two appearances. Manager John Schneider has expressed confidence in Hoffman as the team's closer, and at least for Monday, that confidence appeared justified.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Notches second save
Rotowire
Hoffman earned the save in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Dodgers, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning.
The Dodgers got the tying and go-ahead runs on base against Hoffman with one out in the ninth. However, the right-hander bounced back to strike out Freddie Freeman before coaxing a game-ending flyout off the bat of Max Muncy to log his second save in three chances this year. Hoffman has appeared in seven games overall this season, allowing two runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out 15 over 6.2 innings.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Blows save, takes loss Friday
Rotowire
Hoffman (1-1) blew a save and took the extra-inning loss against the White Sox on Friday, allowing two unearned runs on two hits and no walks with one strikeout while recording two outs in the 10th inning.
Hoffman entered the 10th inning with a 4-3 lead and recorded two outs before things unraveled. Tyler Heineman, who came in at catcher mid-inning to replace Alejandro Kirk (thumb), made an errant throw on a bunt single by Derek Hill that allowed the tying run to score. Hill then came around to score on a walkoff single by Tristan Peters. While Hoffman has allowed only one earned run and posted an 11:0 K:BB through his first five appearances this year, he's converted just one of three save chances after a tumultuous 2025 that ended with a blown save in Game 7 of the World Series.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Secures first save
Rotowire
Hoffman earned the save in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Athletics, allowing one hit and no walks with two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning.
Hoffman was called upon to protect a three-run lead in the ninth and threw nine of 10 pitches for strikes to slam the door. It was a nice rebound after the 33-year-old blew his first save chance Friday, and he's racked up six punchouts through two appearances this season.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Blows Opening Day save chance
Rotowire
Hoffman (1-0) blew the save but came away with the win in Friday's game against the Athletics. He allowed one run on one hit while striking out four across one inning.
Hoffman was deployed in the ninth inning to preserve the Blue Jays' 2-1 lead. He struck out the first batter he faced before yielding a solo home run to Shea Langeliers. Hoffman struck out each of the next three batters faced (one reached base on a wild pitch), and he ended up coming away with the win after Andres Gimenez drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the frame. It wasn't the start to the season that Hoffman was hoping for, especially given that he blew the save opportunity in Game 7 of the World Series against the Dodgers in November. He's still considered the Blue Jays' closer, but guys like Yimi Garcia (elbow) and Louis Varland could get save opportunities if Hoffman can't get the job done this season.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Plans to ease back on fastball
Rotowire
Hoffman plans to throw his four-seam fastball less often in 2026 while increasing his slider usage, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports.
Two years ago with the Phillies, Hoffman threw his slider 47.9 percent of the time and his four-seamer 27.4 percent, and the result was a 2.41 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 33.2 percent strikeout rate over 52.1 innings, as well as a barrel rate allowed in the 99th percentile and a hard-hit rate allowed in the 95th percentile. In 2025, while feeling the weight of a big free-agent contract from the Jays and his first season as a full-time closer, the right-hander tried to attack the zone more often and threw his fastball 37.4 percent of the time, while reducing his slider usage to 29.9 percent. His numbers took a big step backward as a result, highlighted by a first percentile barrel rate allowed and 58th percentile hard-hit rate allowed. A renewed emphasis on his slider, which generated a career-high 47.4 percent whiff rate last season, should help Hoffman regain some of the dominance that slipped away from him.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Blows save in Game 7
Rotowire
Hoffman blew a save against the Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series on Saturday, allowing one run on one hit while striking out two batters over 1.1 innings.
Hoffman entered in the eighth frame with the Blue Jays up 4-3. He got Tommy Edman to ground out to preserve the lead and then struck out the first batter he faced in the ninth, but Hoffman then served up a game-tying solo homer to Miguel Rojas. Over three World Series appearances, that long ball was the only run Hoffman yielded across 4.1 frames.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Closes out game, series against NYY
Rotowire
Hoffman earned the save in Wednesday's win over the Yankees in Game 4 of the American League Division Series. He allowed one run on two hits and one walk while striking out one batter over 1.1 innings.
Hoffman was the eighth and final arm to pitch in a bullpen game for the Blue Jays, and while he coughed up a run in the ninth, he ultimately closed the door to send Toronto to the ALCS. While Hoffman was charged with seven blown saves and took seven losses during the regular season, he has allowed just two earned runs in his last 14 appearances dating back to late August, converting all five of his save chances in that span.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Notches 33rd save
Rotowire
Hoffman collected the save in Friday's 4-2 win over the Rays, allowing two walks but no hits over a scoreless frame. He did not record a strikeout.
Despite issuing two free passes, the Toronto closer wrapped the win on 25 pitches, 14 of which were strikes. This marks the first time Hoffman has walked multiple batters in an outing since Aug. 10, when he granted five free passes in a blown save against the Dodgers. Overall, the righty reliever now sports a 4.37 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 84:27 K:BB in 68 innings while converting 33 of 40 save chances.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Collects 32nd save
Rotowire
Hoffman earned the save in Sunday's 8-5 win over the Royals, allowing one hit and zero walks in a scoreless ninth inning. He did not record a strikeout.
Hoffman got the call to protect the Blue Jays' three-run lead in the ninth. He yielded a double to Mike Yastrzemski, but Hoffman closed things out by getting Bobby Witt and Vinnie Pasquantino to both ground out, and the win clinched the Blue Jays a spot in the postseason. Hoffman has had his struggles this season but has not given up a run in each of his last four outings. He has a 3.71 ERA and 1.24 WHIP across 26.2 innings while converting on 10 of 13 save opportunities since the All-Star break.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Blows sixth save
Rotowire
Hoffman was charged with his sixth blown save of the season Saturday, giving up one run on one hit and one walk in the ninth as the Blue Jays downed the Marlins 7-6 in 12 innings. He struck out one.
Called upon to protect a 4-3 lead, Hoffman issued a leadoff walk to Eric Wagaman, setting Javier Sanoja up to tie the game with a one-out single. It's the first run Hoffman has allowed in August, but he's blown two of five save chances on the month despite a 1.04 ERA in 8.2 innings thanks to a 12:7 K:BB. He remains two saves shy of his first career 30-save campaign.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Locks down 27th save
Rotowire
Hoffman earned the save in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Cubs, allowing a hit while striking out three in the ninth inning.
Hoffman worked around Nico Hoerner's one-out single, striking out the final two batters he faced, to earn his 27th save this season. After issuing five walks in just two-thirds of an inning during his last save chance, Hoffman has responded with back-to-back scoreless appearances, allowing just one hit over 1.2 innings. His ERA sits at 4.32 through 50 innings this season with a 1.10 WHIP and 69:16 K:BB.
