The Toronto Blue Jays enter a season-defining stretch that begins on Monday night with a four-game series against the Boston Red Sox.

The Jays enter play at 56-63 and with just 6.3 percent playoff odds, according to Fangraphs.

While I don't think many people are expecting this stretch to actually buoy the Blue Jays to the playoffs, it could certainly swing the pendulum very much in the negative direction, making a disappointing season downright embarrassing. And in the team's 50th anniversary season, coming off a trip to the World Series, what a calamity that would be.

Toronto will get seven consecutive home games this week, all against the (likely) playoff-bound Red Sox and New York Yankees, before going on the road against the best-in-American League Rays and the Yankees.

If they can get through this 13 games at a near .500 clip, they can at least put themselves in position to end the month on a favorable note when they get the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners on the schedule.

Again, the playoffs might not be in the mix by that point, but a season that doesn't end in total chaos might be, and in this season full of tough losses, that would be a moral victory in its own right.

--Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his seventh home run of the season on Saturday, and all seven have come on the road. He has yet to hit a home run in his home ballpark, which is just unfathomable for a player of his caliber.

--The Blue Jays promoted top prospect JoJo Parker from Single-A Dunedin to High-A Vancouver on Sunday night. Parker is hitting .299 over his last 35 games with nine home runs. A first-round pick of the Jays in 2025, he's expected to be the shortstop of the future, which is now clear for him after the team traded away Arjun Nimmala in the deal that brought back Jose Soriano from the Los Angeles Angels.

--The Jays are also promoting left-handed pitching prospect Johnny King from High-A to Double-A New Hampshire. He's ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the organization, per MLB Pipeline. He's 20 years old and was a third-round pick of the Jays in 2024. He's projected to make his major league debut in 2028. Remember, even if the majors miss games because of a 2027 lockout, Minor League Baseball still happens. King will get continued development.