Blue Jays: Five players who could lose their roster spot at the deadline

Zack Collins

Catcher Zack Collins finds himself in a bit of a predicament. He doesn’t necessarily receive a lot of playing time now that Danny Jansen is healthy and Alejandro Kirk is having a great season, as well as the fact that Gabriel Moreno, the organization’s top prospect, is back down in AAA and could be brought back to the Blue Jays if need be as Collins does have options at his disposal.

Factor in that if the Jays do acquire a left-handed bat and decide they require the defensive ability of Zimmer in the back half of the season (given the Springer injury concerns), Collins would most likely be next on the position player chopping block. His stats at the plate aren’t terrible by any means, a .203/.276/.435 slash line with four home runs and a .711 OPS through 69 at-bats but like Zimmer, he strikes out a lot (43% of the time).

This puts Collins in a bit of a tough spot should the Jays add a position player over the next week, as it will really come down to whether the club prefers him or Zimmer on the squad. Collins could also be switched out for Moreno as the season begins to wind down but that won’t necessarily happen this week or particularly anytime soon. It just really matters whether the team ultimately adds a position player and where the value lies in a third catcher or a defensive-minded outfielder for the switch.

We will have to wait and see.