The Yankees outlasted an American League East rival in the Wild Card Series, disposing of the Red Sox in three games. Now they will leave the home comfort of the Bronx to head north for another divisional showdown, taking on the Blue Jays in a best-of-five AL Division Series.
Toronto won eight of the 13 meetings between the two clubs this season, a number that proved to be significant after the Yankees and Blue Jays finished with identical 94-68 records. The season-series win gave the Jays the division title, a first-round bye, and home field advantage throughout the AL playoffs.
Can the Yankees go on the road and put the pressure on the Blue Jays? Toronto’s 54-27 home record was the best in the AL, so this figures to be a hard-fought series between two teams that know each other all too well.
Here’s how the Blue Jays and Yankees match up position by position:
Alejandro Kirk made the second All-Star team of his career in 2025, and while his production at the plate was solid — he hit 15 home runs with 76 RBIs and a .769 OPS in 130 games — it’s his work behind the dish that makes him special. Kirk ranked first in the Majors in blocks above average (21) and second in catcher framing runs (16), giving Toronto’s pitching staff a big boost. This is Kirk’s fourth postseason, and although the Jays are 0-6 in those previous trips, he had a .353 average and .862 OPS in those three Wild Card Series losses.
Austin Wells started all three games of the Wild Card Series against the Red Sox, going 2-for-9 with two RBIs. More importantly, he helped guide all three Yankees starters to strong outings, as they combined to allow three runs (all charged to Carlos Rodón) over 20 1/3 innings. Wells slugged 21 homers during the regular season with a .711 OPS and is an elite framer.
After makin the AL All-Star team in five consecutive seasons and securing one of the biggest contracts in the history of the game, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has one gaping hole on his résumé: a win in a playoff game. Guerrero has performed poorly in his six career postseason games (3-for-22 with one RBI), but he remains extremely productive (23 home runs, 84 RBIs, .848 OPS in 156 games in 2025) and will be a threat every time he steps to the plate.
Ben Rice started the final two games against Boston, so it would be surprising if he weren’t at first base for the bulk of the ALDS. Rice — who hit 26 homers with an .836 OPS in 138 games this season — went 2-for-7 with one homer and two RBIs.Paul Goldschmidt was 3-for-5 in the Wild Card Series, so he may find himself in a pinch-hitting spot against a lefty vs. Toronto.
Ernie Clement is a jack-of-all-trades who saw time at all four infield positions this season, ranking ninth among all big league infielders with 13 outs above average. He’ll see most of his time at second base in the Division Series, hitting somewhere in the lower third of the lineup as he plays in the postseason for the first time in his career.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. was on the bench for the Wild Card opener, but he played the last two games, going just 2-for-8. But his mad dash from first to home was a key moment in Game 2, and he figures to be the Yankees’ starter against Toronto’s righty-heavy staff. Chisholm put up the first 30-30 season of his career in 2025 while posting an .813 OPS in 130 games.
Andrés Giménez will handle shortstop duties while Bo Bichette continues to work his way back from a left knee injury, and although he can’t offer the same offensive production as Bichette, Giménez’s defense is outstanding. His 10 outs above average tied for 11th in the Majors among infielders, and the bright lights won’t be new to Giménez, who played in the postseason with Cleveland in 2022 and ’24.
After spending most of 2025 as one of the most maligned members of the Yankees, Anthony Volpe went 4-for-11 (.364) with one home run and two RBIs while playing fantastic defense at shortstop against the Red Sox. Having posted an .815 OPS in 14 games during last year’s run to the World Series, Volpe is showing it wasn’t a fluke.
Addison Barger will be making his postseason debut, and will look to follow up a strong sophomore effort that saw him hit 21 homers with 74 RBIs and a .755 OPS in 135 games. Barger isn’t the strongest fielder (-4 outs above average), but he has a cannon of an arm, ranking in the 99th percentile in arm strength.
The Yankees started three different players at third base in the three-game series against the Red Sox, rotating between José Caballero, Ryan McMahon and Amed Rosario. McMahon — a sterling defender who made a highlight-reel play after coming in as a defensive replacement in Game 3 — should get the most playing time against Toronto and its right-handed starting pitchers.
The first year of Anthony Santander‘s five-year, $92.5 million contract has been disappointing for the former All-Star, as he hit .175 with only six homers and 18 RBIs in 54 games. A good October would ease the burden of that performance, which saw Santander post a -1.0 bWAR this season. This will be Santander’s third postseason, though he’s still seeking the first playoff victory of his career after going 0-5 with the Orioles.
Cody Bellinger went 3-for-12 (.250) against the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, but given his numbers this season — he slugged 29 home runs with 98 RBIs, an .814 OPS and 5.0 bWAR in 152 games — he could be a factor in the middle of New York’s lineup.
Injuries marred the first half of Daulton Varsho‘s season, but the outfielder was superb over the final two months, hitting 12 home runs with 35 RBIs and an .861 OPS in 47 games in August and September. And he excelled defensively: His 9 outs above average tied him for 14th in the Majors among all outfielders. Varsho will be making his second postseason appearance after going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in Toronto’s two-game Wild Card Series loss to the Twins in 2023.
Trent Grisham was one of the Yankees’ most important hitters in 2025, hitting 34 home runs with an .812 OPS in 143 games. Grisham typically commands the strike zone as well as anybody, though he went 2-for-12 with one walk and five strikeouts in the Wild Card Series against Boston.
Nathan Lukes hit .255 with 12 home runs and 65 RBIs in his first full season in the Majors, and he showed strong plate discipline by ranking in the 94th percentile in whiff percentage and the 91st percentile in strikeout percentage. Lukes is a slightly-above-average outfielder, though he did in the 96th percentile in arm strength, making opposing teams think twice about running on him after registering nine assists this season.
Aaron Judge didn’t produce any huge swings for the Yankees in the Wild Card Series, but the reigning AL MVP was 4-for-11 (.364) with a key RBI in Game 2, taking what the Red Sox gave him. Judge hit 53 home runs with 114 RBIs, leading the AL in bWAR (9.8), runs scored (137), walks (124), batting average (.331), on-base percentage (.457), slugging percentage (.688), OPS+ (215) and total bases (372) during the regular season.
On a roster filled with players who have never won a postseason game, George Springer‘s October résumé stands out. Springer will be playing in his eighth postseason, having won a World Series ring — and Fall Classic MVP honors — in 2017 with the Astros. Springer has 19 homers and an .875 OPS in 67 career playoff games, and after bouncing back with a big offensive year in 2025 — he hit .309 with 32 homers and a .959 OPS – the 36-year-old will be important to the Blue Jays’ lineup.
Giancarlo Stanton had an excellent season after making his debut in mid-June, hitting 24 home runs with 66 RBIs and a .944 OPS in 77 games. A clutch postseason performer in past years, Stanton was relatively quiet in the Wild Card Series, going 1-for-11 with no RBIs in the three games against Boston.
Kevin Gausman is expected to lead the Blue Jays’ rotation into October for the third time in four years, though the veteran has not fared well in the postseason, going 0-2 with a 6.60 ERA in three career starts. Shane Bieber was solid in his seven starts this season (4-2, 3.57 ERA) and will be pitching in the postseason for the third time — but his first since 2022. Rookie Trey Yesavage has only three Major League starts under his belt, but they were impressive enough to make him part of the postseason rotation. Game 4 should go to either Chris Bassitt or Max Scherzer.
It remains to be seen whether Luis Gil or Will Warren get the call in Game 1, but Max Fried, Rodón and Cam Schlittler all came up huge in the Wild Card Series and should give the Yankees a good chance against Toronto. Fried fired 6 1/3 scoreless innings in Game 1, while Rodón allowed three runs over six innings in Game 2. Schlittler was the star of the series, striking out 12 Red Sox hitters over eight scoreless innings in the clincher.
Toronto’s bullpen ranked in the middle of the league with a 3.98 ERA this season, but some of the Blue Jays’ key relief arms are rolling into the postseason off of strong September performances. Jeff Hoffman (0.84 ERA), Braydon Fisher (1.59), Yariel Rodríguez (1.74) and Seranthony Domínguez (2.16) all pitched well down the stretch, while Louis Varland ended the season with six scoreless appearances in his final seven.
The Yankees’ bullpen was a roller coaster for much of this season, and the postseason hasn’t been much different. Luke Weaver coughed up a Game 1 lead after Fried’s brilliant outing, but Fernando Cruz, Devin Williams and David Bednar locked the Red Sox down over the final three innings in Game 2.
Prediction: Yankees in four
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