TORONTO — For the second time this month, the New York Yankees will visit Rogers Centre. And, once again, there’s a lot at stake.

There was a late-season energy to the games the last time the Yankees visited, as sold-out crowds watched the Toronto Blue Jays sweep New York in early July to overtake first place in the American League East. This time, there won’t be a lead change, as the Blue Jays would retain a share of first even if New York sweeps, but this series still represents a significant opportunity for both teams.

For the Yankees, a share of first place is within reach — but with a strong showing, the Blue Jays can create even more distance between them and the Yankees, who now trail by 3.0 games.

“They’re obviously a really good team,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “In terms of messaging, I don’t think I need to say much to this (Blue Jays) group. We’ve worked really hard to get to this point, and I think we have to just play our game.”

“But I’m sure it’ll be a fun series for the fans.”

With that in mind, here are some developing storylines to monitor ahead of first pitch Monday:

Pitching decisions reflect high stakes 

It’s probably not a coincidence that the Yankees lined up Carlos Rodon to start against the Blue Jays instead of using him in their recently completed weekend series against Atlanta. It would certainly make some sense to use the all-star left-hander with the 3.08 ERA against the team ahead of you in the standings, and the Blue Jays are also likely to face Max Fried.

In Fried’s case, a blister issue appears to have delayed his second-half debut, so that’s a big part of the reason he’s pitching in Toronto. Still, facing New York’s top two pitchers will make this series more challenging for the Blue Jays.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jays will start Kevin Gausman, Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt this week, but that’s no slight to Eric Lauer and Jose Berrios, who will be needed over the weekend against the Tigers in a series that could have implications for a potential first-round bye in the playoffs.

This much is clear, though: the Blue Jays made Jeff Hoffman unavailable Sunday to be sure he’d have a day of rest before facing the Yankees this week.

Deadline intrigue develops

Both teams should be motivated to buy at the trade deadline, and the teams even have similar needs with starting pitching, bullpen help and third base likely to be areas of interest for general managers Brian Cashman and Ross Atkins.

In theory, a team like the Diamondbacks could play the Blue Jays and Yankees against one another with trade candidates Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and even Eugenio Suarez — but it’s likely harder than it sounds to create a sense of desperation in front offices.

Executives try to stay measured in their decision making, and instead of saying they have to get a particular player, the approach front office officials often prefer is, “we’ll get whatever we can with the collection of prospects we’re willing to give up.” Like the Blue Jays, the Yankees are measured and analytical when it comes to their decision making, meaning those teams are typically hard to manipulate into bidding wars.

Guerrero Jr. looks to build on big day

In recent weeks, while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been struggling at the plate, he has often made his way to the batting cages after games, a time when players are typically heading home to rest. Now, granted, it should be the expectation that professional players do whatever they can to produce, especially if they’ve signed $500-million contracts, but his teammates still appreciate the effort.

“He’s still a human like everyone in that clubhouse, and we have ups and downs,” said starter Berrios. “But one thing I’ve seen from him is he’s always worked really hard.”

These post-game hitting sessions also show that Guerrero Jr. believes he’s capable of doing more to help the Blue Jays offensively. On Sunday, that work started paying off, as he delivered a home run, a walk and an RBI single, not to mention his hardest-hit ball of the day, a 111.3 m.p.h. line out in the fifth inning.

Entering play Monday, Guerrero Jr. is hitting .278 with 13 home runs and an .824 OPS — good numbers that still lag behind his career norms of .287 with an .859 OPS and 31 home runs per 162 games. Facing Aaron Judge and the Yankees, Guerrero Jr. will have the chance to build on that performance. 

“I hope so,” Schneider said. “Vlad’s always right there. You look up, and some people say his numbers are pedestrian for his own standards, but he’s still hitting the ball really hard (and) his at-bat quality is really good. If (Sunday) gets him going and hitting the ball in the air a little bit, it’s fine by me.”

Jays enjoy last chance at home

After this series, the Blue Jays won’t host New York again this regular season, but this is seemingly the right time to play at Rogers Centre, as they’ve won their last 10 home games with sweeps over the Yankees, Angels and Giants.

In fact, the Blue Jays won’t see New York at all until early September, when the Blue Jays visit Yankee Stadium for three games to wrap up the season series. After that, any matchups would only occur in the post-season, where these two franchises have yet to play one another.