How the minor league portion of the Blue Jays' 40-man roster did in June

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As we near the halfway point of both the major league and minor league seasons, it's time to take our third look at how the members of the Blue Jays' 40-man roster not currently with the big squad have performed. You can click here to view May's update.

PITCHERS:

Yosver Zulueta: After a much improved May, Toronto's number 3-prospect Yosver Zulueta, unfortunately, couldn't continue that into June. Throwing for a 4.40 ERA and an incredibly high WHIP of 1.81 Zulueta still clearly has a lot of work to do. Now exclusively a 1-2 inning reliever, Zulueta hasn't been able to effectively eliminate base runners this season, and while his 10 base-on balls are better than the 15 he had in May, he also hit four batters and threw three wild pitches. A huge contrast from May was the fact that opponents were also reaching by getting hits, with his opposing slash line improving from .167/357/.222 to .327/.469/.367. Zulueta continues to punch out batters (46 in 40 innings) and The flame-throwing Cuban is still on the team's top-30 prospects list for a reason but at 25 is going to have to significantly decrease walks if he wants to make an impact in the Jays bullpen.

Trent Thornton: Recently demoted back to Triple-A, Trent Thornton has returned from his mid-May IL stint with incredibly impressive numbers. Since his activation Thornton has thrown a total of 8.1 innings in six appearances between Buffalo and Toronto, allowing just a single earned run and striking out 10. His curveball has a ton of movement on it, but it's his sweeper (of which he's thrown 16 for the Jays and all against righties) which has been his bread and butter (excuse the pun). Thornton has yet to allow a hit off of the pitch and is generating a 36.4 whiff percentage. He did issue four walks in three minor league innings before his promotion, but only issued one free pass with the big league squad, so his early season location issues seem to have dissipated. Toronto'sbullpen has a lot of question marks right now, and Thornton is part of what seems like a never-ending revolving door. With minor-league options, unfortunately, he ends up being a casualty of said revolving door, but with his continued success he should find himself another big-league opportunity.

Hagen Danner: Since his promotion to Triple-A Buffalo, number 22-prospect Hagen Danner has had to quickly adjust to a rough start and has done a fine job. After giving up five runs in his first 3.1 AAA innings, Danner has rebounded effectively, allowing just four runs (three of which in one game) in his next 10.2 innings. Danner did have an issue with hard contact allowed in June, giving up six extra-base hits (five of which were homers) with the majority of his struggles coming against lefty hitters. So far this season lefties are hitting .286/.342./.657 or a .999 OPS against the righty. Contrast that to .200/.273./.317 or a .589 OPS and you can see why his overall numbers are so bloated. Danner won't turn 25 until the end of September so there's plenty of time to address his struggles, and with a high 90's fastball and effective slider, a promotion should occur either this season or next.

Jay Jackson: After one incredibly effective appearance for the Jays in early June (2.2 innings, two hits, four strikeouts) Toronto sent down Jay Jackson to call up more rested arms capable of going multiple innings. Jackson had a streak of five consecutive scoreless appearances for Buffalo (including a save) before giving up four earned runs in his last two games in June. Jackson has done a superb job of limiting walks (only one in the entirety of June and it came on June 30th) and did a much better job of limiting hard contact (only three XBH given up, and all coming in his last two games). Another pitcher capable of going two innings, he finds himself in the same situation as Trent Thornton, and more than likely will receive another look at the Major League squad sometime this season. Hopefully not against Aaron Judge.

Zach Pop: An early season success story, Zach Pop suffered from a couple of rough outings before finding himself placed on the 15-day IL back on May 5th due to a right hamstring strain. Brampton's Pop started out with three scoreless appearances for Class-A Dunedin before being moved to Buffalo on June 20th. Since the move Pop has really scuffled, allowing five earned runs in five innings, and issuing four walks and a HBP in the process. Maybe it was a sense of pride because it was Canada Day, but Pop's most recent appearance on July 1st was his best one, throwing 1.2 shutout innings, walking one, and striking out three. Toronto continues to watch his rehab carefully and his impending recall seems to be coming very soon.

As for the hitter, a couple top prospects are really turning things around and making things interesting in the depth charts.

HITTERS:

Tyler Heineman: Heineman was shuffled back and forth from Buffalo and Toronto through June due to the activation of Danny Jansen from the IL and the placement, and subsequent activation of Alejandro Kirk. The switch-hitting Heineman appeared in eight games with Toronto (seven starts), slashing .333/.450/.475 in that frame, and catching one out of four base stealers. Heineman has gone 4-8 for Buffalo since being sent down (all four hits being singles) and threw out the only potential base stealer against. Heineman is a solid defensive catcher and a reliable option if Kirk or Jansen goes down. Ideally, he'd be with Buffalo until the end of their season before a likely move back up when rosters expand in September.

Leo Jimenez: Toronto's number 19-prospect, Leo Jimenez followed up a solid May with an impressive June. Jimenez usually lacks in the power categories, but blasted three homers (tripling his season total to that point) to go along with nine doubles in June. The strikeouts are low (13 in 23 games) and the walks are high (10) for Jimenez. While his 8 errors aren't sexy to look at, New Hampshire has been using him at second base and that seems to be a much more comfortable position. Not to jinx anything, but Jimenez has yet to commit an error at that position in 20 games. He's only 22 so there's still a lot of time for growth, but the youngster appears to be heading in the right direction.

Spencer Horwitz: A hearty Mazel Tov to Spencer Horwitz who not only made his major league debut in June but also collected his first MLB hit and RBI. Horwitz appeared in three games for Toronto (all three as a DH) going 2-8 with two walks. The contact-heavy Horwitz earned the promotion on June 15th despite only hitting.244 from June 1st until his recall date. After Brandon Belt was activated off the IL on June 21st Horwitz was optioned back down and has gone right back to generating contact and getting on base at an elite level. While he has yet to record an XBH since the demotion, Horwitz is slashing .308/.387/.308 in those seven games including two walks and two hit-by pitches. The defense isn't great, and the power is almost non-existent, but his elite-bat-to-ball skills make him an ideal option as a left-handed option off the bench. If Toronto decides to move Belt, Horwitz will likely take his place on the roster.

Otto Lopez: Capable of playing all over the diamond, Montreal's Otto Lopez has found himself mainly at the middle infield positions for Buffalo this season and has fared relatively well at both second base and shortstop (better at second, although in fewer opportunities). After a cold April, Lopez has regained his strong offensive numbers from last season, and after recording 22 hits in May recorded 26 in June. Lopez also stole five bases in June and finally hit his first home run of the season on June 25th. The super-utility player is still very swing-happy (17 strikeouts to 4 walks in June) but is making a lot more contact then earlier on in the season. A statistic that's kind of a bummer is his .186 with two outs and RISP, however, he is a Blue Jay and unfortunately, that's not too far off from some of his big league teammates.

Orelvis Martinez: The Blue Jays' number-4 prospect, Orelvis Martinez has turned a putrid April into an amazing June for Double-A New Hampshire. The free-swinging Martinez cut his strikeouts down from 23 in May to 14 in June and raised his average from .236 in May to .280 in June and his OBP from .359 to .391. Martinez hit significantly fewer homers in June (only three compared to 11 in May) but became less of a "three true outcome" player by launching six doubles. The errors at shortstop continue to be a significant issue (six in June including four in four games towards the end of the month). A move to the hot corner might be in the near future, but another Blue Jays shortstop with a history of a high amount of errors has been able to turn things around for himself, so Toronto might be cautious to move him.

Addison Barger: Finally healthy, number-6 prospect Addison Barger has had a bit of a tough time since returning to Triple-A. After going 0-6 in Rookie Ball, and 3-11 in Class A, Barger was returned to Buffalo on June 21st and has seen his offensive numbers take a dip. Barger went just 4-25 in June (one of those hits being a homer) and struck out eight times in 25 at bats. Being used at DH, 3B, and SS, Barger didn't commit an error in June (albeit only six games were played in the field) but has committed five in 33 games this season. Barger hit over .300 at both Triple-A (in very limited action) and Double-A last season so there's a tiny bit of concern. He is, however, just returning from injury so things will take time to get back to normal. Hopefully, the offense returns soon for an exciting young player.

Nathan Lukes: Optioned in mid-June, the sporadically used Lukes has resumed doing what he does so well at the Triple-A level, get on base. He reached in all eight games played with Buffalo in June and recorded five extra-base hits to go along with them. Lukes is now hitting above .350 in Triple-A, but unfortunately for him just can't seem to find any significant playing time with the Jays. Despite struggles of some of their other hitters, John Schneider decided to keep Lukes as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement for most of his time up with the big league squad only recording 19 at-bats in 23 games. If Lukes continues his torrid pace he's going to force Toronto's hand, as he's proven that when given opportunities he can flourish at the plate.

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