The Blue Jays got a real look at several young players in 2026, and the season made one thing pretty clear: a few of them already belong in the picture for 2026, while others still need time to cook.
Brett Bateman wasted no time making himself useful after Toronto picked him up at the trade deadline in the Kevin Gausman deal with the Chicago Cubs. The 24-year-old rookie brought steady outfield defense and then shocked by settling in near the top of the lineup, where he looked comfortable from the jump.
In 41 games with the Blue Jays, he hit .329 with an .826 OPS, scored 28 runs, added seven doubles, two home runs and 11 RBIs. He also used his speed to create offense, giving Toronto another way to manufacture runs.
It was a small sample, but it was convincing enough that the club may have found its leadoff answer for the George Springer spot.
Charles McAdoo also turned a bumpy start into something much more promising. He announced himself by homering in his MLB debut in late May, then went 3-for-21 over his next seven games and was shipped back to Buffalo.
When he returned after the trade deadline, though, he looked like a different hitter. McAdoo made the necessary adjustments and earned trust as a bench utility piece down the stretch.
Over the final two months, he posted a .292 average and a .776 OPS with 10 runs, four doubles, two home runs and 11 RBIs in 28 games. He also moved all over the field, getting reps at first base, second base, third base and left field.
Then there’s Spencer Miles, who looked like the most polished rookie of the bunch. The right-hander barely blinked in his first big league season, finishing 6-2 with a 2.73 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP while allowing 29 earned runs and three home runs and striking out 93 in 95.2 innings.
The Blue Jays used him everywhere - starts, middle relief, high-leverage spots, even saves - and he handled it all. He picked up two saves, too.
For a Rule 5 draftee who had just 14.2 minor league innings under his belt, that’s a serious impact, and he looks like a major piece of the pitching staff moving forward.
Not every young Blue Jay made the same kind of leap. Arjun Nimmala flashed early after getting called up in late April, batting close to .300 through the middle of June and adding four home runs and 18 RBIs over nearly 40 games.
But the bottom fell out after that. Over his next 17 games, he hit below .200, posted an OPS close to .500 and struck out 16 times in 49 at-bats before heading back to Triple-A Buffalo for the rest of the season.
For now, he remains a work in progress.
Sean Keys showed why the organization is so high on his bat, but his big league time also showed what still needs cleaning up. The 23-year-old infielder was one of Toronto’s top power prospects, and he backed that up by crushing 28 home runs and driving in 80 runs in 100 games between Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Buffalo.
Baseball America also named him the Blue Jays’ 2026 Minor League Player of the Year. In Toronto, he managed two home runs and nine RBIs in 25 games, but the rest of the line was rough: a .197 average, just three walks and 22 strikeouts in 61 at-bats.
The power is real. The plate discipline has to catch up if that power is going to play consistently in the majors.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Mourn A Voice Who Helped Shape Franchise History
Larry Millson, whose name was woven into Blue Jays coverage for more than three decades, has died, the team announced Oct. 7. A longtime Toronto writer and recipient of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fames Jack Graney Award, Millson became one of the most respected voices in baseball journalism, filing stories for numerous outlets while helping chronicle the franchises rise and its place in the Canadian game.
The Blue Jays responded with condolences for his family and a tribute that reflected just how deeply he was connected to the organizations history. For readers who followed the team year after year, Millson was part of the steady backdrop of the sport in this country, one of those reporters whose work outlived the days score and helped shape the way Canadian baseball was covered. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Offseason Plan Could Force A Tough Ernie Clement Decision
Ernie Clement has become one of the more appealing pieces on the Blue Jays roster because he can handle so many jobs and has a style fans have come to appreciate. His value has grown not just from versatility, but from the simple fact that Toronto can use him in a lot of different ways, which is part of why any offseason roster planning around him gets complicated fast.
The complication comes if the Blue Jays follow through on a bigger infield-and-outfield shuffle and add players such as Seiya Suzuki and Brandon Lowe. In that kind of setup, Clement could still matter, but his role would likely shrink into more of a utility lane than the everyday run he has carved out, leaving Toronto with a familiar front-office question: how much do you preserve a player like Clement when the pursuit of higher-end talent starts changing the shape of the lineup? [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Prospects Are Already Shaking Up Torontos Next Wave
The Arizona Fall League has become the first real showcase for several Blue Jays prospects, with Toronto sending a mix of arms and position players to get one more round of meaningful reps before the winter. Brandon Barriera, Jake Bloss, Gilberto Batista, Fernando Perez and Yondrei Rojas are on the pitching side, while catcher Aaron Parker and outfielders Jake Casey and Jake Cook are getting a chance to sort out where they fit in the organizations next wave.
Early returns have been encouraging in different ways. Bloss and Barriera have each turned in strong pitching outings, Parker has flashed offensive upside even if the strikeouts remain part of the profile, and Cook and Casey have offered a reminder of how varied this group can be, one bringing speed and the other more power. For a Toronto system looking to keep adding depth around the edges, the fall league is already doing its job by clarifying which prospects are starting to separate themselves. [Read more 🡒]