DUNEDIN, Fla. — There are plenty of examples that illustrate what Kevin Gausman has meant to the Toronto Blue Jays during his time in the organization. Perhaps none are more telling than the way he navigated spring training in 2024. 

Right-hander Alek Manoah was sidelined with a shoulder injury, and the Blue Jays were lacking rotation depth. Gausman himself missed a good chunk of that camp with right-shoulder fatigue, but he knew the team needed him, and so he hastened his buildup. 

Gausman would have benefited from spending the first few weeks of the season on the injured list, yet instead rushed to pitch in the Blue Jays’ final Grapefruit League game and opened the season at the back of the rotation.

The right-hander ultimately paid for that, though, as the unstable foundation he built in the spring led to a shaky campaign in which he never really found his footing.

That story is especially worth remembering this weekend, as Gausman and his importance to the organization were underscored by the decision to name him the Blue Jays’ 2026 opening-day starter. 

Blue Jays’ manager John Schneider was recently reminded of the situation from the spring of 2024 and was asked if it epitomized the type of soldier Gausman has been for the club.

“I mean, that’s an understatement,” Schneider responded. “He’s done everything we could ask for him up to this point, and we’re gonna continue to count on him big time this year.”

When Gausman takes the mound on March 27 against the Athletics at Rogers Centre, it will be his first opening-day assignment with the Blue Jays. Jose Berrios earned the opening-day nod in 2022, Manoah started in 2023 and Berrios again had the honour in 2024 and 2025.

Gausman is entering his fifth year with the organization, and those around the team felt this should have come sooner. 

“About time he got one,” said Schneider. 

Gausman said the assignment is important to him because it signifies trust. 

“Anytime you get a chance to start the first game of a season for an organization, they’re showing that they have a lot of confidence in you,” Gausman said. “Whether it’s stuff-wise or your ability to get through a lineup. So, I definitely don’t take it lightly. Very honoured and humbled to be able to go out there and start the first game.”

Gausman, who’s entering his 14th MLB season, previously pitched on Opening Day in 2017 for the Baltimore Orioles and did the same for the San Francisco Giants in 2021. 

He signed a five-year, $110-million contract in December of 2021 that stands as arguably the best free-agent contract handed out by the current Blue Jays’ front office. The 35-year-old has been the picture of durability during his time in Toronto, posting a 3.48 ERA and averaging 31 starts and 183 innings over four seasons. His 793 strikeouts during that span rank third in MLB. 

“He’s such a quiet guy, but he’s so consistent,” said Schneider. “When you look back at the last four years of him being here, he has just been so stable and so consistent, not only in performance, but in the clubhouse. 

“Not the loudest character, but just knows what to do every single day,” added the manager. “Our starting rotation has taken on this brotherhood almost, and he’s been a huge part of it.”

Gausman was a key contributor for the Blue Jays during last year’s playoff run, producing a 2.93 ERA across 30.2 innings. He pitched well against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the World Series, allowing three runs over six frames, and though he was saddled with the loss in that potential clincher, Gausman earned a new level of respect from teammates. 

“He’s a big-game guy,” Max Scherzer said. “He can elevate his game, and he can go at the best, and he can make some really good hitters look bad. Getting to play with him last year, I really got to see it. I love playing with him. 

“It’s awesome he gets the honour of being opening-day starter.”

Gausman said he’s looking forward to the “electric” atmosphere at Rogers Centre.

“There’s just something special about Toronto when it’s a game that matters,” he said. “You just can feel it walking into the stadium.”

Schneider, along with several Blue Jays’ position players, made the cross-state trip to play in games in Port St. Lucie and Jupiter against the New York Mets and Miami Marlins on Sunday and Monday. Gausman remained at the team’s player development complex, where he tossed five innings and 70 pitches in a simulated game against Philadelphia Phillies minor-leaguers on Sunday. 

The right-hander set out to specifically use his changeup and slider in the outing and noted he wants to deploy both pitches in different ways this season. He hasn’t used a changeup since 2022 and said bringing it back could prove effective because it sets up his splitter. 

“I get some takes on my split out of the hand because it is such a good pitch,” said Gausman. “I just need to show that I can throw a changeup for a strike whenever I can, and I think that frees up my split to be more swing and miss.”

While the stakes are high for the defending American League champions this year, they’re equally high for Gausman, who’s entering the final season of his contract. 

The right-hander told Mitch Bannon of The Athletic earlier this spring that he was pondering retirement, and while that remains a possibility, he told Sportsnet he hasn’t come to any conclusions yet.

“I’ll just worry about it when I get there,” said Gausman. “It’s one of those things where there’s no point in thinking about it now. Your mind might change. 

“I’ll just focus on this year and get to the off-season, and then we’ll reevaluate.”