Blue Jays infielder rewarded for first hit, RBI with poorly timed demotion to minor leagues

It had been a long time coming for Toronto Blue Jays infielder Luis De Los Santos. One of the remnants from the Alex Anthopoulos era, De Los Santos finally got his chance to shine in a Jays’ uniform. After spending the past eight seasons middling in the minor leagues, he was selected to the major league roster on the eve of the trade deadline.

He finally made his elusive debut on July 31 as a late defensive replacement at third base against the Baltimore Orioles. He ended up registering his first ever MLB at-bat in the ninth inning, grounding out to shortstop Gunnar Henderson.

On August 4, De Los Santos got his first career start in the big leagues, but went 0-for-3 with one walk in the process. The experience he has had so far was good, but nothing would beat the one thing that still eluded him, which was his first major league hit.

Well, that finally came to fruition on Sunday in a match against the Oakland Athletics. During the sixth inning, De Los Santos legged out an infield hit to register the milestone. To add the icing on the cake, he even got his first RBI in the eighth inning by driving in Spencer Horwitz on a double the other way to right field. De Los Santos would finish the day going 2-for-3 with one run scored and one RBI.

So what does he get for his reward for a job well done? Surprisingly, De Los Santos was quickly optioned back down to Triple-A Buffalo following the game. However, he didn’t take the demotion too hard, as he apparently understood what the Jays’ plans were in these final few weeks of the season.

“They [Blue Jays] want to see some new players in the organization. But it’s OK. I’ll keep working, doing my part and I’m hoping to come back soon,” De Los Santos said.

The next opportunity he has in returning to the majors could come as early as September when roster sizes expand. However, if the Jays do intend to give some of the new players a look before the end of the season as De Los Santos had suggested, it may actually be a while before we will see the hard-luck 26-year-old again, if at all. Nevertheless, he can relish on the fact that he had recorded his first-ever big league hit, run and RBI, while having those ever-lasting memories to take with him. 

As of right now, nothing has been confirmed as to what the corresponding roster move. Infielder Will Wagner is the leading candidate to join the Blue Jays in time for their next series against the Los Angeles Angels, a source tells Jays Journal.