The Toronto Blue Jays sit six games above .500 as of June 15 and are fighting to stay in the American League Wild Card race. With plenty of talent on the roster, they remain a team to watch as the season progresses.
However, there are concerns, especially surrounding pitcher Bowden Francis. Francis holds a rough 2-8 record with a 6.05 ERA. Recently, he allowed just two runs over 3.2 innings against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 14, which was an improvement after giving up a combined 11 runs over just five innings in his previous two starts.
Despite the struggles, manager John Schneider continues to support Francis, but his backing has not been well-received by many Blue Jays fans.
Blue Jays Fans Question Jon Schenider’s Comments
Here’s what Schneider said recently, despite Francis’ struggles, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com.
“Yeah. I think we need him. He’s working his a** off with Pete. I think he’s going to take what he did before the walks in the fourth inning and build off of it,” Schneider said.
Asked John Schneider if he wants to see Bowden Francis continue to work at this at the MLB level:
“Yeah. I think we need him. He’s working his ass off with Pete. I think he’s going to take what he did before the walks in the fourth inning and build off of it.” #BlueJays
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) June 14, 2025
As you would expect, fans were not thrilled with these comments, especially given Francis’s recent pitching performance, and let their frustrations be heard in the comments section under Matheson’s post on X.
“So basically, until further notice, we’re essentially going to have two bullpen days in the rotation. This is how you know Schneider is lost in the sauce. The team may be above 500 now, but that can all change extremely quickly,” one fan wrote on X.
“Unserious ball club if Bowden Francis makes another major league start before the all-star break,” wrote another.
Blue Jays fans are frustrated because they had high hopes for Francis this season after he put together a strong 2024, finishing with an 8-5 record and a 3.30 ERA.
“What exactly has Francis been building off of since the beginning of the season? This has gone on long enough,” another questioned.
“He’s going to get another start!? Come on. He’s killing the bullpen and that hurts the team big time,” another added.
One user even pointed out his shift in mechanics as a potential reason for his struggles.
Bowden Francis was arguably the best pitcher in baseball the last 2 months of the 2024 season…
He looks like he may no longer be part of the Jays rotation in 2025….
Bowden has made a slight change to his prehension and it’s completely derailed his mechanics.
He used the… pic.twitter.com/vgT7zQJt76
— Prehension Athletics (@tommym8) June 15, 2025
It’s quite the decision from Schneider, but there may not be many alternatives right now. Max Scherzer is still on the injured list. Toronto has promising prospect Trey Yesavage in the minors, but he may still be away from being ready for a call-up to the big leagues.
If Schneider continues to roll with Francis and improvement doesn’t come quickly, his relationship with the fanbase might continue to grow.
Francis has to go back down to get his game in order. He is costing us. But the bats have to keep it going also.