Philies’ Romano and Hoffman Face Off in Toronto Reunion

TORONTO — When Jordan Romano walks out from the visitors’ bullpen at Rogers Centre this week, it will feel strange for everyone in the stadium, from personnel to fans in the seats. Blue Jays manager John Schneider believes the reception will be warm. “They rightfully should cheer him,” Schneider said. “He’s a local dude, did so many good things here, some memorable moments in the clubhouse celebrating. I think he’ll be very well received.”

Romano, a native of Markham, Ont., will be in town with the Philadelphia Phillies for a three-game series beginning Tuesday. This marks his first return to Toronto for game action since signing with the Phillies in the offseason after six seasons with the Blue Jays.

Schneider, who watched the 32-year-old Romano grow up, has been texting the right-hander as the reunion neared. “Looking forward to seeing him,” Schneider said. “Probably going to tell him that he’s tipping all of his pitches and try to mess with him a little bit.”

Adding to the intrigue, Blue Jays reliever Jeff Hoffman will also face his former team. The two clubs essentially swapped closers in a unique arrangement during the offseason. The Blue Jays cut Romano ahead of the deadline for clubs to offer contracts for the 2025 season. Despite undergoing surgery on his throwing elbow last July, Romano signed a one-year, $8.5 million deal with the Phillies that included a $500,000 bonus for pitching 60 innings.

Shortly after, the Blue Jays signed Hoffman, a former Phillies high-leverage reliever, to a three-year, $33 million contract. Hoffman commented on his contract negotiations, saying, “They checked in a lot, but when it came down to negotiations, they were usually not anywhere near where everybody else was at.”

Despite their ties to each other’s former teams, both players have struggled this season. Hoffman has performed better on paper with an ERA of 5.81 compared to Romano’s ERA of 7.36, but both are below their career averages. Hoffman has one save over 26.1 innings, while Romano has 13 saves in 29 innings.

After a rough start, Schneider believes Romano has bounced back. “I think he’s kind of gotten back to what he’s been doing for a long time,” Schneider said.

Hoffman, meanwhile, has been working with Blue Jays coaches to address his struggles. After analyzing his performance, he adjusted his fastball and has started to show improvement, although consistency remains a challenge.

As they prepare to face off, both players have the match-up marked on their calendars. Hoffman indicated he is looking forward to the test, saying, “That’s a great team. When that type of offense comes in, obviously you’re not necessarily excited about it, but that would be a good test for us as a group.”

In another notable return to Rogers Centre, Phillies slugger Bryce Harper played his first game against the Blue Jays after missing five games due to a bruised right elbow. Harper batted third and played first base after being hit by a fastball last week. His return comes as the Phillies have struggled in recent games without him, going 1-4.