Saunders is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Astros, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Saunders will get a regular day off after starting the past six games in left field. He is just 3-for-23 in that span with no extra-base hits and 13 strikeouts, and is likely spending Thursday on the bench in order to clear his head and get ready for Toronto's next series against the Royals. In his place, Melvin Upton will get the start in left.

Saunders is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres, according to Sportsnet's Barry Davis.

EDGE Analysis

Saunders went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Tuesday's game, so manager John Gibbons decided to give him a mental break Wednesday. Melvin Upton will get the start in left field in Saunders' place.

Saunders went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo homers in Saturday's 14-5 loss to the Mariners.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran slugger was one of the few bright spots in the blowout loss, touching up his former team with a pair of round-trippers in the later stages of a blowout defeat. Saunders now has three of his four July homers over the last two games.

Saunders is back in the lineup for Friday's game against Seattle.

EDGE Analysis

Saunders was away from the team Wednesday due to a personal issue, but is back and in the lineup for Friday's game after the team's day off Thursday. He is set to be the designated hitter against James Paxton and the Mariners, while batting fifth in the order.

Saunders is away from the team Wednesday while tending to a personal issue, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The reason for the absence is unclear, but Saunders is not with the team Wednesday, so Darwin Barney is getting the starting nod in left field. Manager John Gibbons didn't elaborate on the situation, but he noted that he believes Saunders will be back for Friday's series-opener against the Mariners following Thursday's off day.

Saunders is not in the lineup Wednesday against Arizona, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports.

EDGE Analysis

Playing in an NL park for the second straight day, the Jays are again down a regular hitter and Saunders is the casualty. Toronto will go with Darwin Barney in left field, and he'll serve as the lead off man against Arizona lefty Patrick Corbin.

Saunders finished the first half of 2016 slashing .298/.372/.551 in 305 at-bats over 82 games.

EDGE Analysis

The eighth-year outfielder is far-and-away having the best season of his career, crushing his career average line of .240/.312/.406. After bouncing around the order early in the season, Saunders has settled into the cleanup role in the Jays potent lineup, hitting .309 while mashing eight home runs and tallying 22 RBI in 110 at-bats from the four-hole. The key to 29-year-old's success has been his ability to destroy left-handed pitching. The left-hand-hitting Saunders had struggled against southpaws throughout his career, including a putrid .234/.320/.355 line versus them over the past three seasons. However, he's made adjustments to his swing that have led to a .301/.383/.614 line in 2016, and has turned himself into a valuable fantasy asset in most formats.

Saunders is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Tiger, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports.

EDGE Analysis

Saunders will get a normal day off after starting the past nine games. The recently elected All-Star will be replaced in the field by Ezequiel Carrera in left, while Junior Lake gets the nod in right. Saunders has had a great start to July, going 14-for-35 with one home run and seven RBI during the eight games this month.

Saunders went 2-for-4 with a walk, one RBI and three runs Thursday against the Tigers.

EDGE Analysis

The outfielder continued to make his case Thursday for a place on the AL All-Star team. Over the last six games, Saunders has gone 12-for-25 with five doubles and seven RBI while notching five multi-hit games. The 29-year-old veteran is in the midst of a career year, and is on pace to challenge 30 home runs and 80 RBI.

Saunders went 2-for-4 with a homer, two runs and two RBI Wednesday against the Royals.

EDGE Analysis

Saunders' 16th homer of the year broke up a scoreless tie in the fourth inning of a game the Jays would eventually win. This was his first homer since knocking three balls out of the park on June 17, and he's now slashing .296/.369/.557 on the year.