Checking in on how the minor league portion of the Blue Jays' 40-man roster did in April

HITTERS:

Leo Jimenez: The 21-year-old middle infielder has gotten off to a slow start for AA New Hampshire, but he's young and has tons of time to live up to the hype of being Toronto's number 19 prospect. In 10 games, Jimenez has hit for practically no power this season, with his sole extra-base hit being a double, but that's never been a part of his game. With a lack of power, you need to be getting on base a ton, and after hitting .230 for Vancouver last season, he's lowered it to .225 with New Hampshire. He's always been able to take a walk, but with only three in 45 plate appearances, his path to the big leagues is getting less and less clear.

Tyler Heineman: The switch-hitting catcher was acquired from Pittsburgh at the end of April and has yet to suit up for Buffalo. He was hitting .333/.478/.667 in extremely limited action for AAA Indianapolis and even earned a brief call-up to the majors, where he hit a measly .111 across 3 games. Heineman's strength has always been at the defensive end, catching 31% of base stealers last season. If Toronto isn't comfortable moving Daulton Varsho back to catcher in case of an emergency, an injury to Kirk or Jansen would warrant his call-up.

Spencer Horwitz: The 25-year-old Horwitz has always been able to hit at the minor league level, and has continued his impressive numbers this season. The first baseman/left fielder has slashed .296/.441/.432 across 23 games, and has an impressive 19 walks to 20 strikeouts. Unfortunately for Horwitz, there's a Vladdy-sized obstacle in his path to the big leagues, and his outfield defense hasn't been strong enough to earn him major league playing time there. If Toronto decides to move on from Brandon Belt, he can probably fill that hole, but for the time being, he'll probably be stuck in Nathan Lukes' position from last season, mashing AAA pitchers.

Otto Lopez: After representing Canada at the World Baseball Classic, many thought Lopez would be in line for the final roster spot on the Jays. Capable of playing both the infield and outfield, Lopez earned a brief major league call-up at the end of 2022, but was beat out by Lukes for the final spot on the team. A strong start to 2023 would probably for Toronto's hand, but Lopez has gotten off to anything but that. After hitting .297 with Buffalo last year, he has slugged .171/.227/.244 in 22 games. Lopez has also committed three errors (two at shortstop, one in left field) so the defense isn't there yet either. There's still a lot of time left in the season, so there's no real cause for concern, but his play has to improve if he wants another shot back with his home country.

Orelvis Martinez: The power-heavy free-swinging Martinez really struggled to hit for average last season in AA (hitting .203 in 118 games) and while he swatted 30 home runs, was the recipient of a strikeout 140 times. If you thought Lopez's numbers were rough, you might want to avert your eyes. Martinez is hitting .089/.159/.250 so far this season and is averaging a strikeout a game. Three of his five hits have been homers so the power is still there, but the swing and miss is still way too high. He's appeared as a DH twice already this season, and when he's played his defensive positions (third base and shortstop) he's committed five errors already. Warning signs are going off, and if the Blue Jays don't change something soon their No. 4 prospect is going to slip further down the list.

Addison Barger: If Martinez and Jimenez are going to slip down the Blue Jays prospect pool, the man they'll be replaced by is Barger. While he has experience playing all around the infield (and a bit in right field), the lefty hitter has to either pick a position or figure out a way to improve his defense if he wants a call-up. Barger, like Martinez has five errors this season (three at shortstop, one at third, one in right field) and struggled when playing shortstop last season. A permanent move to the corners might be the logical next step for him because his bat is nearing major league-ready. While he's only hitting .237/.333/.329, the power and average will return if last season's numbers are what you're going off of. Across three levels, he mashed .308/.378/.555, with 26 home runs and 91 RBI, numbers that theoretically earn you a look at the major league level. Another similarity to Martinez is his high strikeout numbers (not nearly as extreme as Martinez's) but with the flip-flopping moves Toronto has made at the end of their lineup, a shot with the big league club seems likely this season.

These numbers are from very early in the season, so it's important to view them for what they are. While it's impossible to say what Toronto's lineup will look like at the end of the season, some of these names might be on the roster come September.