Ex-Blue Jay Turner playfully takes credit for Toronto prospect's highlight reel catch

The Toronto Blue Jays are known for being a great defensive team. Over the last few years they've regularly been at the top of the league in many of the defensive metrics, right across the board. 2026 is expected to once again be a year in which the Blue Jays defenders make life tough on the opposition as they are predicted to be one of the top 5 defenses this year by MLB.com.

So far in Spring Training there has been nothing to suggest otherwise. There have been a number of great looking plays by the Blue Jays in Grapefruit League action. But a play by RJ Schreck on Saturday (Feb. 28) may have taken the cake, as it got attention from a former Blue Jay - who decided to take credit for the catch himself.

Ex-Blue Jay Turner playfully takes credit Toronto prospect's highlight reel catch

During the ninth inning of Toronto's game against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Blue Jays had a 7-5 lead with two out in the ninth. But the Phillies had a man on with two outs. Phillies prospect Keaton Anthony (ranked as Philadelphia's No. 15 prospect in 2025 by MLB pipeline) sent a ball to deep right field, that Schreck got a late break on. But Schreck, who was pegged as a player to watch for a spring breakout, overcame that late break in a big way by racing toward the warning track and making an absolutely ridiculous diving catch to rob Keaton of extra bases.

The play caught the attention of former Blue Jay Justin Turner, who wrote on X, "You're Welcome" under a post from the Blue Jays that showed the catch. The 17-year veteran Turner, who is still looking for somewhere to play in 2026, was traded by the Blue Jays at the 2024 deadline to the Seattle Mariners for Schreck.

At the time, the Blue Jays were in the midst of a losing season and Turner was having a decent year (.256/.350/.372 with six home runs) that he made sense for a contending team as a reinforcement piece. Those contenders were the Mariners and they gave up Schreck, who wasn't in their top 30 prospects.

But Schreck has shot up the prospect since that trade, finishing 2025 as the Blue Jays No. 10 as he was basically the position player equivalent of Trey Yesavage, stopping just short of making his major league debut. He began the year in Rookie Ball, and jumped all the way up to Triple-A Buffalo, where he hit .242/.392/.435 with an OPS of .828. He hit seven home runs and had a 38:49 walk to strikeout ratio in 58 games.

Turner, 40, may not have had a longstanding contribution to Toronto's success on the field, but his half-season stint netted the Blue Jays a prospect who could contribute in more meaningful ways down the road. The 25-year-old Schreck may not crack the Opening Day roster in 2026, but as a left handed hitter who has an excellent plate approach, he fits into the Blue Jays style of hitter they have been trying to develop and if he adds some pop there could be a pathway to the big leagues in the near future.

Schreck was named by MLB Pipeline as the Blue Jays best position player prospect in 2025, alongside Yesavage, who took the honours on the pitching side. He'll look to continue to build up his resume as he suits up for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic which begins this week.