Eric Lauer Fantasy Stats

Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Eric Lauer "should once again move into the rotation" to begin the 2026 season now that right-hander Trey Yesavage (shoulder) will start the year on the injured list, according to Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. Manager John Schneider hasn't guaranteed Lauer a rotation spot, but Lauer appears to have "gone from eighth starter to the top five in a matter of weeks." The 30-year-old southpaw got up to 70 pitches in his most recent spring training outing. Lauer has allowed eight earned runs in 8 1/3 Grapefruit League innings this spring, but he has struck out seven and only walked two in his four starts, and he was tremendous for the Blue Jays' rotation a year ago, when he went 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 102:26 K:BB in 104 2/3 innings over 28 appearances (15 starts). At least until Toronto's rotation arms get healthy, Lauer could be a nice matchup-based sleeper in deeper fantasy leagues. In addition to Yesavage, both righties Shane Bieber (forearm) and Jose Berrios (elbow) will start on the IL.

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that left-hander Eric Lauer is "firmly in the mix to be in the rotation," according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. The team's management of young right-hander Trey Yesavage is the "big remaining variable," and Lauer is "right on that line" now that right-hander Jose Berrios (elbow) won't be ready for Opening Day. If Yesavage begins the year on the big-league roster, the Blue Jays could use a combination of Yesavage and Lauer for the final rotation spot early on. Lauer, 30, pitched very well in 2025 in his first year with the team, going 9-2 with a career-best 3.18 ERA (3.85 FIP), 1.11 WHIP, and 102:26 K:BB in 104 2/3 innings over his 28 appearances (15 starts) during the regular season. Shane Bieber (forearm) will also begin the year on the IL, so things are opening up for Lauer to have some deep-league appeal early on in 2026.

Left-hander Eric Lauer lost his salary arbitration hearing against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, a source told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Lauer will earn $4.4 million in 2026 instead of the $5.75 million he filed for. The 30-year-old veteran southpaw stepped up for Toronto in a swing role in 2025 after pitching in Korea in 2024, as he posted a career-best 3.18 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 102 strikeouts and 26 walks in 104 2/3 innings over 28 appearances (15 starts). Lauer added some velocity last year and showed a little bit better control. The problem for his 2026 fantasy value is that he'll likely be relegated to a long-relief bullpen role after the offseason addition of starting pitcher Dylan Cease. In his seven-year big-league career, Lauer has a 4.13 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 22.3% strikeout rate for three different teams. Lauer is strictly an arm to roster in AL-only leagues.

Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Eric Lauer will be available out of the bullpen this weekend in the series against the Miami Marlins, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. "This is not a [permanent] move to the bullpen," manager John Schneider reiterated. It's unclear when Lauer will make another start, but it sounds like the Blue Jays are going to be flexible with his role down the stretch. The 30-year-old southpaw is essentially being bumped from the starting rotation for now with right-hander Shane Bieber (elbow) set to make his team debut in Friday's series opener in Miami. Lauer has been great for the first-place Jays this year, going 8-2 with a career-best 2.76 ERA (3.54 FIP), 1.08 WHIP and 87:25 K:BB in 88 innings over 20 apparances (14 start). He's been a bit lucky to have an ERA under 3.00, though, and may one make a start or two the rest of the way.

Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Eric Lauer will make another start in Friday's series opener against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field. It will be Lauer's second straight start after he allowed an earned run while walking none and striking out five in a no-decision over three innings his last time out on May 17 against the Detroit Tigers. Before that, he served in a bulk-relief role on May 11 and picked up his first win of the year by striking out five Seattle Mariners in 4 2/3 innings of work. The 29-year-old southpaw has been sharp in his four appearances with Toronto this year, giving up just three earned runs on seven hits while walking three and fanning 14 in 12 frames. Lengthy might be an issue for Lauer again in just his second start of the season, but the matchup is friendly against a Rays team with an OPS (.673) that ranks 24th in MLB.

The Toronto Blue Jays are promoting left-handed pitcher Eric Lauer from Triple-A Buffalo prior to their contest on Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox. Lauer was slated to start for Triple-A this evening. Fantasy managers should monitor his status leading up to this game as he may be given the starting nod or could be deployed in a bulk relief role. Through 24 innings at Triple-A this season, the left-hander has held a modest 4.50 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP. During this stint, he has struck out 21 batters and served up six free passes. Last season, Lauer spent time in Milwaukee and logged a high 6.56 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP across 46 2/3 innings of work. He generated a 7.54 xERA with a .307 xBA, which were both in the first percentile. If he gets the starting nod, he should not be targeted in DFS formats.

The Toronto Blue Jays have signed left-handed pitcher Eric Lauer to a minor league contract that contains an invite to Spring Training. Lauer spent the 2024 campaign with Houston and Pittsburgh. Lauer spent the entire summer at the Triple-A level and held a 5.26 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP across 75 1/3 innings. However, from 2018 through 2023, Lauer spent the majority of his time in the major leagues. The southpaw made his big league debut in San Diego in 2018 and then went on to spent four seasons in Milwaukee. He posted a career-best 3.19 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP with a 7-5 record across 118 2/3 innings during the 2021 season. Fantasy managers in deeper AL-only formats should keep an eye on his status during Spring Training as he may contend for a spot in the back-half of the Toronto rotation.

The Houston Astros signed free-agent left-hander Eric Lauer to a minor-league deal on Monday and assigned him to Triple-A Sugar Land, the team announced. Lauer will give the Astros' some much-needed starting rotation depth at the minor-league level for now. The 28-year-old southpaw recently opted out of his minors deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates after not pitching in the big leagues yet in 2024. He didn't look very good at Triple-A Indianapolis, though, so he'll need to show better results at Sugar Land in order to get consideration for a call-up to Houston. The former 25th overall pick by the San Diego Padres in 2016 out of Kent State has a career 4.30 ERA (4.60 FIP) and 1.37 WHIP with a mediocre 22 percent strikeout rate and 8.9 percent walk rate in 596 2/3 innings with the Padres and Brewers since 2018.

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Eric Lauer made his spring debut against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday. The veteran southpaw looked strong as he struck out three batters over two scoreless innings. The 28-year-old has been a reliable option throughout most of his career. However, Lauer struggled heavily during his time with the Milwaukee Brewers last season. Lauer recently joined the Pirates roster, so he won't be ready for Opening Day. He'll likely head to Triple-A to get stretched out a bit before being a possible option in a few weeks. Fantasy managers can use a wait-and-see approach here.

Free-agent left-hander Eric Lauer has signed a minor-league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates and will report to big-league spring training. The veteran elected free agency in October and has lingered on the open market weeks after pitchers and catchers reported for spring duty. Lauer spent the 2023 season with the Brewers where he worked to a 6.56 ERA in 10 outings (nine starts) and 46 2/3 innings of work. He was demoted to Triple-A Nashville where he posted a 5.15 ERA across 12 outings (nine starts) and 43 2/3 frames. A veteran of 120 MLB appearances, 112 of which were starts, Lauer owns a 4.30 ERA and tossed a 3.69 ERA in 29 starts as recently as the 2022 season. He could battle for a back-end rotation spot or perhaps a long-relief role as the Pirates' young arms gain more seasoning in the minors.