Wednesday, July 16

TORONTO -- Buffalo is getting awfully crowded. 

The Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate is stacked with position players who could come up and plug a hole for a week, but depth is no longer an issue. Instead, the Blue Jays are looking for players who can raise their ceiling, and eventually, the Bisons will need to be part of that. 

Looking through Buffalo’s roster and those prospects who could join the Bisons soon, here are the players standing in that long line and how each could eventually help the Blue Jays:

INF Orelvis Martinez (No. 3 prospect)

Martinez needs to slug his way to the big leagues. So far, he hasn’t done that, and coming off his 80-game suspension for a performance enhancing substance in 2024, he’s still in the process of climbing that hill back. Still just 23, there’s plenty of time left for Martinez, but the air is coming out of his prospect balloon and some legitimate doubts remain about his ability to play defense at the big-league level. His likeliest path to the big leagues is mashing lefties, but Martinez would not be near the front of the line tomorrow if a spot opened up on the Blue Jays.

OF Alan Roden (No. 5)

Roden struggled in his MLB debut, but since being optioned back to Buffalo, he’s nailed the assignment. Going into Wednesday, Roden was batting .375 with a 1.092 OPS and this is a great example of a player who is too good for Triple-A. It feels like Roden will get another crack at the Majors this season -- potentially even soon -- with his likeliest path back being an injury. If that doesn’t happen, the Blue Jays could eventually have to make a decision between Roden and Myles Straw.

2B/LF Davis Schneider

Schneider went 1-for-15 to start the season with the Blue Jays and was understandably optioned, but his style of play would still fit so well with the big club. It’s just about getting Schneider back to his peak, when he was mashing lefties and driving the ball. Schneider has a .738 OPS in Buffalo and has been heating up, but oddly enough, his numbers aren’t as strong against left-handed pitching. This is still a work in progress, but there’s a reason the Blue Jays aren’t giving up on Schneider.

INF Will Wagner

Wagner is on the IL in Triple-A, so this is a conversation for later in the year, but he joins Roden and Schneider as players who made the Opening Day roster but soon fell off it. Once a dark-horse candidate to bat leadoff, Wagner needs to get healthy and get on base. This team still lacks a true leadoff hitter. 

OF Joey Loperfido

For weeks, I had Loperfido projected to make the Blue Jays out of camp, but Myles Straw came in and stole the job in center while Daulton Varsho rounded out his shoulder rehab. Loperfido has looked better lately with the Bisons and owns a .751 OPS, but may need an injury in front of him. This is a question of Loperfido’s standout tool. What can he do to help the Major League roster and kick that door down? Right now, Roden is well in front of him in the outfield.

SS/2B Leo Jimenez

Jimenez is finally back with the Bisons after opening the season on the IL, and while some of the shine has worn off Jimenez’s former prospect stock, he’s still capable of playing shortstop at the Major League level. Jimenez has been a popular name in trade talks over the years, but within the Blue Jays’ organization, his likeliest path to the big leagues is as a reserve infielder in 2026 and beyond.

SS Josh Kasevich (No. 7)

Kasevich will be in Buffalo soon after starting the season on the IL with a back injury. An organizational favorite, Kasevich’s projection is about 2026 and beyond. Internally, the Blue Jays are much higher on his defense than many public rankings and Kasevich is beloved by coaches at every level for a reason. His offensive profile is contact over power, but there’s a solid big-leaguer in there if Kasevich stays healthy and hits enough. 

INF Riley Tirotta

Tirotta deserves a spot in these talks and owns an .837 OPS in Triple-A, absolutely hammering lefties. He needs to find a defensive home, so it’s notable that he’s played more left field lately -- even a game at shortstop -- on top of third base. Perhaps Schneider’s old role could be a fit as the Blue Jays search for offensive upside.

The Blue Jays are back in town beginning Thursday for the start of a new homestand with four games against the Athletics, which will include the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. City Connect replica hockey jersey giveaway on Friday, May 30. 

This can replace the Maple Leafs jersey you threw in the trash last week.

Finally, we’re back to the point where the injury updates on Max Scherzer matter again. It’s been difficult to chart out much of a potential timeline while he throws shorter bullpen sessions, but later this week, Scherzer is expected to face live hitters again. 

This is the stage he was at earlier in the season when some back tightness delayed his ramp-up, so if all goes well in this next throwing session, it puts Scherzer one step closer to a rehab assignment, where he’ll likely need a few outings to build back up in a modified Spring Training.

If all goes well, this could put Scherzer a few weeks away from a return, but it’s been awfully hard to pin that date down this season. Scherzer’s return would be so valuable to this organization and finally simplify every fifth day in the rotation, which has been a revolving door of starters and bulk relievers all season long. 

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