Former polarizing Yankee lands with Blue Jays in the heat of AL East race

The AL East race is heating up after the Toronto Blue Jays' lead has shrunk to 2.5 games through Monday's action. The New York Yankees will face them three times in the Bronx this coming weekend, which could tip the scales massively.

When they do, they'll see one of their former players wearing the powder blue. Over the weekend, the Jays claimed Isiah Kiner-Falefa off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates and he was activated Monday for their series against the Cincinnati Reds.

IKF spent the first three months of last season with the Blue Jays before ... being traded to the Pirates at the deadline. In just 83 games with the Jays, he amassed 3.2 WAR thanks to a .292 batting average and 114 OPS+. He logged reps at second base, shortstop and third base as well.

But at the time, the Jays were going nowhere fast, so they decided to part with some assets at the deadline. They finished last in the division with a 74-88 record, but have managed to rebound in a big way this year. The return they got for IKF in Charles McAdoo is also the organization's No. 16 prospect.

This time around, though, Kiner-Falefa will be going up against the Yankees when the games matter the most. And New York fans will be sure to let him hear it. He wasn't remembered fondly in the Bronx, but that was mostly the front office's fault.

Former Yankees shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa claimed off waivers by Blue Jays

Unfortunately for those same fans, they've been dealing with the Anthony Volpe experience ever since IKF departed. Volpe's 2023 rookie campaign wasn't great, but it at least featured a 20-20 milestone and a Gold Glove. IKF was around for that as he served as a utility option for Aaron Boone.

But in the two years since? Falefa has pretty much been just as effective (if not better, depending on who you ask). IKF's horrible 50-game stint with the Pirates last year dragged his numbers down, but his first half with Toronto was very good and his 2025 campaign with the Pirates has been on par with Volpe's contributions to the Yanks (both have logged 1.6 WAR).

The Jays have added an asset to their roster, which obviously has the potential to hurt the Yankees down the stretch if they can't capitalize in the upcoming series. The good news is that New York arguably has better depth than Toronto and they control their own destiny with the upcoming schedule: Astros, Blue Jays, Tigers and Red Sox before finishing out the year against the Twins, Orioles and White Sox.

Let it be known, though, that Yankees fans will not hear the end of it if IKF plays some sort of role in keeping the Yankees at arm's length in the division this weekend.