With runs at a premium and the losses piling up, the Toronto Blue Jays went back to a familiar name on Thursday, recalling Davis Schneider from Triple-A Buffalo to give the lineup a needed jolt.
Schneider, a fan favourite, takes the roster spot of infielder Sean Keys, who was optioned to Buffalo. The move comes as Toronto searches for any kind of offensive traction after a rough stretch that has left the club scuffling at the plate.
Since being sent down at the end of June, the 26-year-old has looked much more like himself in Buffalo. Over the past three weeks with the Bisons, Schneider has hit .294 with five home runs and 14 RBIs. That’s a sharp turn from his earlier work in Toronto, where he managed just a .153 average and a .578 OPS before the demotion.
The Blue Jays’ timing is no accident. They’ve dropped four straight games and scored fewer than two runs in each of those losses, a skid that has pushed them to the bottom of Major League Baseball in runs scored.
Schneider wasn’t the only player Toronto brought up from Buffalo on Thursday. The club also recalled Canadian left-hander Adam Macko after placing veteran starter Patrick Corbin on the 15-day injured list with a left teres major strain.
Schneider is set to start in left field Thursday afternoon at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays will try to avoid a four-game sweep at the hands of the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays.
In Other News...
Padres May Finally Be Closing In On The Rotation Help They Need
With the trade deadline approaching, the Padres are still trying to patch together a rotation that has been hit by injuries, and that search has naturally pushed them toward the market for a veteran arm. One name that has surfaced is Kevin Gausman, the Blue Jays right-hander who would bring a track record of big-game experience and, at least for Toronto, a tempting chance to turn an expiring contract into future value.
Gausmans situation gives the Blue Jays a real deadline decision to weigh, especially with the veteran set to reach free agency after the season. Former MLB general manager Jim Bowden has tied him to San Diego as part of a broader list of clubs that could be in the mix, which makes Torontos next move worth watching closely as the market for starting pitching begins to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Letting Ty France Walk Looks Even Worse Now
Ty France is making Torontos old decision look a lot sharper in hindsight, because the first baseman the Blue Jays let walk last offseason has turned into one of the more productive bats on San Diegos roster. With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. locked in at first for Toronto and other roster needs to sort through, the Jays moved on from France and watched him land elsewhere, where he has hit well enough to put himself back on the radar around the league.
Now the wrinkle is that France may not even stay put long enough for the Padres to fully enjoy the payoff. San Diego is hanging around the playoff picture but not firmly in it, and Frances value has climbed enough that he is being viewed as a possible deadline trade chip. For a Blue Jays club still looking for more offense, it is another reminder that letting a usable bat get away can come back into focus fast. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Prospect Is Drawing The Kind Of Buzz Fans Crave
JoJo Parker is already giving the Blue Jays something to think about in Dunedin. The 19-year-old first-round pick has flashed the kind of all-around skill set that tends to get attention fast, pairing on-base ability with power and speed while handling Single-A pitching in his first full look at pro ball. For a Toronto system that is always watching the middle infield closely, that matters.
Dunedin manager Ryan Casteel has been especially bullish on Parkers bat and maturity, enough to put him in a favorable light against a familiar big-league name. The longer view is what makes the buzz so interesting: Parker is not just building a rsum, he is also entering the kind of future shortstop conversation that can shape a farm system, with Arjun Nimmala part of the same picture and plenty of time for that race to develop. [Read more 🡒]
