Jesús Sánchez hitting the IL gives Blue Jays' rookies a chance to keep shining

There have been a few pleasant surprises this season for the Toronto Blue Jays. Namely, a trio of rookies who have more than done their fair share of helping carry the workload when it comes to the offense. While the Blue Jays overall seem to be sputtering as June comes to an end, it's hard to put any fault at all on Kazuma Okamoto, Yohendrick Piñango and Brandon Valenzuela.

Only Okamoto was expected to come in and produce on a daily basis for the 2026 Blue Jays. The 29-year-old 11-year NPB veteran signed a four-year deal in the offseason to be the team's every day third baseman, but the other two were a few rungs lower on the depth chart when the season begin. Yet all three have contributed nicely and with Jesús Sánchez hitting the 10-day Injured List, there's an opportunity for these guys to add to their growing credentials.

Okamoto is currently the teams power leader with 19 home runs. In fact he's the only Blue Jay to reach double digits in that category this year. While he strikes out a fair amount (32.1%) he's making up for it with his .228 ISO and 118 wRC+. The Blue Jays would probably love to see him pull up that .318 OBP a little bit, but Okamoto is also contributing 1.1 defensive fWAR at the hot corner.

For a guy that was supposed to come in and be more of a high contact hitter, with below average defense, he's turned into more of a power producer and making third base almost look easy at times. He's exactly the type of player the Blue Jays need at this time, unfortunately he's one of a few that's actually contributing.

Perhaps Valenzuela and Piñango could do more if given the chance. Piñango is already in his third stint with the team, being called up and sent back almost a handful of times this season, and every time he's been with the Blue Jays, he's done what's been asked of him. The 24-year-old outfielder is hitting .276/.322/.440 in his first 45 games in MLB. He's hit five home runs and has a 112 wRC+.

Valenzuela was basically the team's every day catcher while Alejandro Kirk was recovering from an injury in early April. Valenzuela played his first game on Apr. 5 and hit .252/.333/.457 in 46 games up to Jun. 12 (Kirk's return). He hit seven home runs, drove in 18 runners, and worked 16 walks in 145 plate appearances with a .790 OPS and a 120 wRC+.

However, since Kirk's return, Valenzuela has appeared in six games (five starts) and has hit just .200/.304/.250 with no home runs and three walks with ten strikeouts in 23 plate appearances. In four of those starts he has accumulated multi-strikeout games. It's becoming clear that Valenzuela needs to get regular reps in order to be productive.

Positional flexibility becoming the issue for Piñango and Valenzuela to get in the lineup

Valenzuela has only ever caught at the big league level while Piñango is a left-handed hitting outfielder, something the Blue Jays currently have an abundance of. Even with Sánchez currently out of action the Blue Jays are limited in what they can do with these two budding young players. It's obvious they want Kirk catching as much as possible, and rightfully so after posting a 4.7 fWAR a year ago. But Valenzuela's only other opportunity to get into the lineup is if he gets to be that games designated hitter.

For Piñango, it's not so much his lack of versatility as it is his lack of defensive skills in the outfield. With Nathan Lukes, Daulton Varsho and Myles Straw way ahead of him on that side of the ball, and George Springer looking to get more reps in the field, Piñango gets knocked down a few pegs on the depth chart and not everyone can be a DH every day either.

Further complicating matters is that the Blue Jays just called up Sean Keys, their hottest hitting prospect from the minors. Keys plays at third and first, positions occupied by Okamoto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He's also a left-handed hitter who smashed 21 home runs this season (between Double-A and Triple-A) which means the Blue Jays would love to get his bat in there against right-handed pitching as often as possible. But again, there's a lack of spots where he can be used on an every day basis.

With Sánchez out, there's an opening for the Blue Jays younger players to get some meaningful at-bats, but it's incumbent on manager John Schneider to figure out how to get them into more games. Right now, it feels like his hands are tied and the current roster construction isn't well suited to let these players shine.

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