Blue Jays urged to use 5-infielder plan when Tyler Rogers pitches originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Toronto Blue Jays lost in ugly fashion against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night.
It’s not that the submarining reliever Tyler Rogers was hit super hard. The infield defense just let him down as he allowed two runs (one earned) in the bottom of the eighth in a 2-1 loss.
The happenstance also created a fascinating pitch for how to move forward when Rogers pitches.
Toronto radio host Ben Ennis wants the Blue Jays to employ the five-man infield tactic when Rogers is in the game:
Jays should play 5 infielders when Rogers is on the mound.
— Ben Ennis (@SportsnetBen) April 16, 2026
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It is inherently a fascinating concept.
Rogers’ motion and pitch movement induce a ton of grounders, and most hitters these days have predictable fly ball patterns anyway.
There really hasn’t been a specific pitcher that has called for such a dramatic realignment. The five-man infield is generally saved for spots when the winning run is on third base and a team feels the best way to prevent that run from scoring is to guard against pretty much every possible ground ball.
And to be realistic, the Blue Jays almost certainly aren’t going to actually try this.
But out of the box thinking can actually lead to great ideas, if someone is bold enough to give it a shot.
Maybe someone with the Blue Jays should crunch some numbers here. It doesn’t actually seem like the worst idea.