Blue Jays: Potential options from the minors when the rosters expand

Gabriel Moreno – Catcher

Gabriel Moreno makes this list as probably the biggest longshot out of everyone in this article but there is no denying that when he is hitting the ball well, the entire team takes notice.

Skyrocketing up the prospect standings and drawing praises from across the league Moreno is playing well in AA to a .373/.441/.651 slash line with eight home runs, 45 RBI, and a 1.092 OPS. The righty batter is on the 40-man roster should the Blue Jays want to call him up to the majors sometime in the near future but he hasn’t played since June 30th after sustaining a thumb injury.

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While the club did call-up Alejandro Kirk last season when the rosters expanded in September and he had yet to play above Single-A ball, the same fate could happen to Moreno but seems unlikely. There is a lot of depth at the major league level within the catching position and with the Venezualan product missing almost two months of baseball, it doesn’t seem feasible at this time (even though fans may want to bring him and his 1.092 OPS up sooner rather than later).

Cavan Biggio – UTIL

The 2021 season is one that Cavan Biggio would most likely want to put behind him. Multiple injuries and a rough performance at the plate have limited Biggio to just 77 games and a .215/.316/.350 line with 78 strikeouts in 246 at-bats. The son of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio was also entrusted with third base to begin the season, a position he struggled with to find a proper form and currently sports a .935 fielding percentage with nine errors on the season.

Currently in AAA on a rehab assignment, Biggio is now facing a new injury, this time to his elbow, different that the back and neck issues he has been dealing with earlier this year. It might be best to let Biggio finish the season in Buffalo and start anew next year.

Mallex Smith – OF

Picked up from the Cincinnati Reds on August 14th, Mallex Smith has bounced around five different organizations prior to landing in Toronto since being drafted back in 2012. With 442 games at the major league level under his belt, Smith is one of the more experienced players down in AAA and could be a viable option off the bench in that he can also steal bases, posting 40+ stolen bags in both 2018 and 2019.

Smith is not on the 40-man roster and would need to find a spot before being called-up to the major leagues. Another hurdle in his way is the recent addition of Jarrod Dyson, who also fills in the “speedy outfielder bench player” role but he is on the 40-man roster already and scheduled to join the Blue Jays in Detroit this weekend, a step ahead of the former Reds outfielder.