TORONTO – Jeff Hoffman went home to Florida for the off-day, spent time with his family, caught a little sun and then returned to Toronto, where a discussion about his role with the Blue Jays loomed. 

Back at the Rogers Centre, manager John Schneider told the 33-year-old Friday that the club planned to “share the responsibility” of the ninth inning, a pause from the pressures and high-stakes of closing while he and the team make sense of his confounding start.

Hoffman wishes things were different, obviously, but noted “it gets to the point where it's just not cutting it and it needs to change,” and that “we've got plenty of guys that can do what I do.”

“They're doing it better than what I'm doing right now and that gives them the nod to go out there and do it for the group,” he added. “I'm good for whatever is going to put us in the best position to win as many games as possible.”

Ultimately, a Hoffman whose results match the underlying numbers is pivotal to the Blue Jays’ larger goals, which is why solving the riddle of his poor results is of the utmost urgency. While Louis Varland might seem an obvious candidate to pitch the ninth, backfilling with him would only create another hole, as he’s faced, by far, more leverage than any of the other relievers in the........

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