Josh Smith didn’t arrive in Toronto with much fanfare, but he’s forced his way into the conversation fast.
At the trade deadline, the Blue Jays were buying and selling at the same time, still searching for a real push toward the playoffs. One of Ross Atkins’ better moves was bringing in left-handed reliever Adam Macko, a deal that also sent utility man Josh Smith to the club after he had spent his entire career with the Texas Rangers.
At the time, Smith was sitting on a 600 OPS this season, which hardly screamed impact addition. Since then, though, he’s looked like one of the most important bats the Jays have added.
Toronto needed offense to go with Alejandro Kirk, who has been carrying the lineup day after day with steady production. Smith has helped answer that call. He has not played every day, but when he has been in there, the power has shown up in a way the Blue Jays have badly lacked this season.
Over the last month, Smith has appeared in 20 games and hit five home runs. That matters because Toronto has spent much of the year searching for big swings and loud contact. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has only eight homers through 132 games, and the lineup has been crying out for extra-base damage.
The numbers since Smith joined the team are hard to ignore: a .275/.375/.650 slash line, an OPS north of 1,000, and production that has only sharpened recently. In his last seven games, he’s batting .333 with an on-base percentage pushing toward .500 and a .933 slugging percentage.
Toronto also leads the majors in infield hits by a comfortable margin, which only underscores the point. This lineup doesn’t just need more balls put in play. It needs power, and Smith has brought it.
The argument against him is the left-handed pitching split, but that’s the kind of thing that gets a lot less important when a hitter is locked in. Right now, Smith looks like someone who should keep playing until opposing pitchers prove they can shut him down.
And with the Blue Jays in the middle of a playoff race, they can’t afford to waste offense. Their starting rotation is bleeding, so they’re going to need games won with big swings. Every time a right-hander takes the mound, Smith needs to be in the lineup.
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