5 Blue Jays Who Could Earn a September Call-Up
With the rosters set to expand on Sunday, here are 5 players that could find themselves with the Blue Jays sooner rather than later.
It has been a disappointing campaign for the Toronto Blue Jays, with the club now playing spoiler instead of contending for a postseason spot with the team now 8 games back of a Wild Card position.
With these struggles came a shift of priorities at the trade deadline, with the front office dealing away numerous veterans – Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Yusei Kikuchi, Kevin Kiermaier, Yimi García, Trevor Richards, and Justin Turner – to bolster the farm system with some prospect capital and a veteran reliever in Ryan Yarbrough, a notorious Blue Jay killer in his heyday.
The season continues to inch closer to September and with rosters set to expand this Sunday, here are five potential Blue Jays prospects who could hear their name called to the big league roster.
** denotes that the player is not on the 40-man roster
Five players to watch in the Blue Jays system
Jake Bloss – RHP
While it is not set in stone, the odds appear that the Jays will call up Bloss as the 14th pitcher on the roster this Sunday. Acquired at the trade deadline as part of the package from the Houston Astros for Kikuchi, Bloss reported to Dunedin to work in the organization’s pitching lab at their Player Development Complex before heading to Buffalo to join the club in Triple-A.
Since joining the Bisons, Bloss has made three starts and has allowed six hits and zero runs through 9 2/3 innings of work. The former third-round pick has been pitching well out of the rotation, striking out eight batters and holding opponents to a .171 average and a .475 OPS with a 1.14 WHIP. The biggest knock on Bloss through the small sample size is his walk rate, where he has amassed a 4.66 BB/9 while sometimes struggling to find his command.
With the Blue Jays slated to give their starters extra rest to round out the campaign, there is a good chance that Bloss becomes a piece of the rotation puzzle that would likely work in tandem with Yarbrough to eat up innings. When the Astros rotation was bit by the injury bug earlier this season, Bloss was used for three starts – so it will be interesting to see how he fares upon his second stint this season (but with a different organization).
Jonatan Clase – OF
Acquired from the Mariners at the deadline, Clase immediately found himself in the Blue Jays’ top ten prospect list given his plus speed and ability to hit double-digit home runs. The outfield prospect pool has been one of the weaknesses for the Jays over the years and the addition of Clase brings a new face into the fold.
Clase rode the options bus for the Mariners this past season to mixed results – eight hits through 41 at-bats (.195) with one double, three RBI and three stolen bases added in. He struck out 14 times compared to two walks and amassed a .220 SLG and a .452 OPS as he struggled to put the ball in play with consistency across sporadic playing time.
Since joining the Jays farm system, Clase has struggled to adjust to playing regularly with the Bisons. Through 71 at-bats, the Dominican has compiled a .211/.260/.352 slash line with four doubles, two home runs, and three RBI to the tune of a .612 OPS and a 54 wRC+ while patrolling centre field.
Clase could get a call-up to just see if he can find a rhythm in the big leagues but he will need to put some stronger at-bats together over the next few weeks to force management’s hand.
Alan Roden – OF **
Ironically, while the Jays outfield corps has been one of the weaker points in recent years, another name entering the mix is outfielder Alan Roden – a homegrown prospect who has hit his way up the Minor League ladder in quick succession.
A third-round pick from the 2022 MLB Draft, Roden started the year in Double-A before a mid-June promotion to join Buffalo in the International League, one step away from the active roster.
While the Wisconsin product struggled at first to hit against Triple-A pitching, the lefty has found a groove and adjusted well to the next level and currently owns a .298/.391/.458 slash line with a .849 OPS. With a plus-hit tool in his arsenal, Roden is more contact versus power – 10 doubles and five home runs since joining Buffalo – but can spray the ball to both corners of the field while holding down top-notch plate discipline.
Recent rumblings from Blue Jays camp suggest that Roden will finish the year in Triple-A even with his success at the plate. Regardless of whether that holds true or not, the outfielder is setting himself up for success this season or next if he continues to put the ball in play with consistency.
Luis De Los Santos – INF
One of the longest-tenured Blue Jays players in the system, Luis De Los Santos has been grinding his way to the top of the ladder dating back to his professional debut in 2016 in the Dominican Summer League.
This season, De Los Santos was fighting his way for a promotion amidst a horde of infield prospects but was dealt an unfortunate hand in an IL stint that kept him off the field for almost two months. Once he returned in mid-July, he was putting the ball in play at a steady pace and with some roster spots available after the trade deadline, he made his long-awaited big league debut at Camden Yards.
It was a cup of coffee for the Dominican, where he collected two hits (one double) through seven at-bats before being sent back down to Buffalo. With his slash line at a respectable .278/.391/.478 in triple-A with a .869 OPS to boot, there is a solid argument in place for the Blue Jays to bring De Los Santos back to the big leagues to get more reps amongst the other prospects.
Bo Bichette Could Also Factor Into These Plans
There is a chance that the Blue Jays won’t do anything when the rosters expand in terms of position players. The club still needs a spot for Bo Bichette, who is on the verge of returning from a calf injury that has plagued him over the season and they could use one of the roster spots for adding him back into the mix while keeping the current crop of players at the big league level.
This idea would still allow for the Jays to call upon a pitcher (Bloss) to round out the group but the likes of Clase, De Los Santos, and Roden would remain in the minors unless the club was to drop someone on the current roster like Steward Berroa, Addison Barger, or Will Wagner. The Jays could also demote a struggling Davis Schneider to get him some reps away from the spotlight while opening up a roster spot alongside a Bichette addition but for the time being, that seems less than likely.
Should the Jays wish to juggle the roster around to call upon Clase or one of the others, Berroa seems like the plausible candidate to drop down amongst the group. That remains to be seen and will also depend on when the Jays activate Bichette, who is inching closer to a return each day.
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Tyson Shushkewich grew up in a small farming community just east of Lethbridge, Alberta. He would leave this small town for Halifax, Nova Scotia, and attend…