Flexibility Has Made Spencer Miles a Perfect Fit for the Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays have been no strangers to injury troubles in 2026, and their whole season has felt like a constant revolving door of players filling in roster holes left by injuries. The Jays have used 18 different hitters and 27 different pitchers already this season, and it’s led them to a 37-38 record, which is good enough for third place in the AL East.

While on paper Toronto has one of the most intimidating rosters and some of the best players in baseball, they’ve been mired in poor performance thanks to a combination of struggling stars and injured players they were depending on. One thing for certain, however, is that these issues have helped them identify some very impressive players that might’ve otherwise gone unnoticed.

In particular, Spencer Miles has been an incredibly valuable pitcher for the Jays this season thanks to his ability to pitch in many different roles and provide consistent success in all of them. In a 2026 season where the majority of their starting options have, at times, gone down with injuries, Miles has been a breath of fresh air for the Blue Jays.

Spencer Miles’ Origin Story

The path that led Spencer Miles to this year’s Blue Jays roster is rather unusual and maybe unexpected, but sometimes the players that have the strangest paths to the majors are the most impressive in their ability to stand out at the MLB level.

After being selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 2022 MLB Draft, Miles’ minor league career was mired with injuries that limited him to throwing just 14.2 innings from 2022-2024. His career was floundering, and he hadn’t even pitched above the Single-A level, but his hard work paid off in his recovery efforts in 2025. While he wasn’t throwing professional innings, his progress and pure talent earned him some attention.

Miles was selected in the 2025 Rule 5 draft by Toronto from the Giants’ system. In seven spring training games, Miles tossed 9.2 innings with 11 strikeouts and a 3.72 ERA. While it wasn’t the most impressive performance, his skill set stood out as being very strong, and he was turning heads with his ability to face big-league hitters with poise after hardly pitching at all in the previous few seasons.

Out of spring training, Miles was selected to join Toronto’s Opening Day roster. As a Rule 5 player, he had to either spend the remainder of the season on the Jays’ big league roster or be returned to the Giants. While either of these outcomes was certainly possible at the start of the season, it’s clear now that the Giants won’t be seeing Miles anytime soon.

The Utility Pitcher

Miles has really proven his versatility for the Blue Jays this season, being one of just five pitchers to throw at least 45 innings for the team in 2026. He has started two games and finished five, one of six pitchers to do so with 40+ innings pitched this season. When Miles has been needed as a high-leverage reliever, he’s fit into that role. When he’s been needed to start or pitch in a bulk role following an opener, he’s delivered great performances consistently.

He proved immediately in his MLB debut that he was prepared for big moments, as he entered his first MLB game in the 11th inning trying to protect an 8-7 lead. Miles shut down the Athletics with only one baserunner reaching via a walk while earning his first career win and strikeout in the process.

Average Leverage Index (aLI) is a metric that outlines the average pressure a pitcher sees over the course of an outing, where 1.00 is average. Miles’ aLI in his MLB debut was 4.11, over four times the average pressure. He’s been one of the Jays’ best pitchers this season, and he’s gotten the job done in every role they’ve asked him to fill.

Miles’ 3.30 ERA is the second-best among Blue Jays pitchers with at least 45 IP this season (Dylan Cease, 2.91), and his .198 batting average against is the third-best among Jays pitchers with at least 10 IP (trailing only Louis Varland and Trey Yesavage). Even though the 2026 season is his only sample at the MLB level, it’s the biggest sample of his professional career, and he’s improving it every single time he takes the mound.

The term ‘utility-man’ has been revolutionized in recent years for position players who field many different positions, but Spencer Miles might be one of the league’s top utility pitchers in 2026.

What Does His Role Look Like Going Forward?

Miles has essentially occupied a role in Toronto’s rotation for most of the last month or so, with the Jays using him in a bulk role behind an opener in place of the fifth spot in their starting rotation. Now that names like Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, and Max Scherzer either have returned or are about to return to good health, Miles might be relegated to more of a bullpen role going forward in 2026.

This might not be to his detriment, however, as pitching in shorter stints as a reliever allows him the opportunity to hone his pitch arsenal more and fool hitters with better stuff. If he doesn’t have to concern himself with making his pitch mix work over several innings, he can focus on purely dominating hitters with more velocity.

In Miles’ outing on June 14, he threw 2.2 innings of one-run and one-hit ball, and the velocity of both his sinker and four-seam fastball sat well above his season average.

In his outing before that on June 10, Miles averaged nearly 97 mph on his sinker, well above his 95.9 season average, and this could’ve been due to him only facing five batters – all of whom he got out.

Miles has a +11 Pitching Run Value that sits him in the top 10% of pitchers this season. On fastballs in particular, he has a +9 Run Value (94th percentile).

The Jays know that they can use Miles in a bulk role to pitch several innings at a time, but with more arms coming back off the IL and their recent trade for Simeon Woods Richardson, maybe Miles will be more effective going forward if used as a high-leverage reliever.

Closing Thoughts

Spencer Miles has been an absolute X-factor for the Blue Jays this season, giving them stability in many different roles when the team has suffered injuries to several crucial players. Whether out of the bullpen or as a starter or bulk pitcher, Miles has continually proven his ability to perform at the big league level despite coming into the 2026 season as somewhat of a wild card.

Miles had only pitched 14.2 innings in his professional career for the Giants, and the Blue Jays certainly took a risk on the unproven 25-year-old. It’s safe to say that that bet has paid off incredibly for both Miles and the Jays, as he’s been one of Toronto’s standout pitchers so far in 2026.

As the season progresses, Miles is one of the unsung heroes keeping the middling Blue Jays around the .500 level amidst all the injuries they’ve dealt with, and he deserves credit for his efforts. With some of the nastiest stuff on the Jays’ pitching staff and plenty of poise in his rookie season, he’s easily been one of their most effective arms this year.