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

HITTERS:

Leo Jimenez: After a slow start, the young infielder has finally broken out offensively for Double-A New Hampshire. A slash line of .333/.400/.444 in May shows his lack of power, but his increased ability to get on base might earn a promotion to Buffalo soon. Jimenez recorded a hit in 12 of 14 games and also only struck out seven times compared to six walks, so his discipline has proven to be solid. Jimenez did have a minor IL stint earlier in the month but hasn't shown any warning signs since returning.

Spencer Horwitz: Horwitz can hit, and hit very well. He followed up his .301/.452/.452 slash line in April by putting up a .330/426./409 May, trading in some of his power for a higher contact rate. Horwitz failed to record a home run in May and only recorded four extra-base hits the entire month so he's getting a little bit single-heavy, but that's not as important when you're getting on base every at-bat. Against right-handed pitching, the lefty-hitting Horwitz has a slash line of .358/.486/.505 and has an equal number of walks as strikeouts (26). A stat line the Blue Jays probably view most importantly is his numbers with runners in scoring position and two outs, where he's hitting .364/.475/.424, three categories in which the Jays have been lacking all season.

Otto Lopez: Lopez hit .160 in April, and I think anyone would agree that those numbers aren't indicative of the type of player that Lopez is. The utility man returned to normalcy in May, slashing .290/.368.316, showing just like Horwitz and Jimenez that he seriously lacks any power. Lopez had 22 hits in May, 20 singles, and two doubles. The right-handed hitter went 3-for-4 stealing bases (and added another June 1st) but has significantly struggled against right-handed pitching (.194/276.243) and has put up below-average defensive numbers so far this season (three errors in left field and three at shortstop). He earned a very brief call-up earlier this season, and it seems increasingly likely that he'll receive another one later this year.

Orelvis Martinez: There are very few "three true outcomes" players still in baseball, but Martinez looks like he's becoming one of them. After a ludicrously bad April (.089/.159.250), the free swinger has been hitting for a higher average while still striking out a ton. I mentioned Martinez as a "three true outcome" guy because it describes what happens when he gets to the plate, he either gets an extra-base hit, walks or strikes out. In May, 14 of the 22 hits the infielder recorded were of the extra-base variety (with 11 being homers) and he struck out 23 times in 89 at-bats. The 16 walks he recorded are impressive as is the .652 slugging percentage he put up, but the biggest detractor from his game is from the defensive side. Nine errors this season (five at SS, four at 3B) have increased the likelihood that a move to DH might be in the near future.

Addison Barger: Unfortunately for Barger, he was placed on the IL on April 30th, and is just beginning his return to play. Reports indicate that there's no timeline for a return yet, but Barger was only hitting .237/.333/.329, before his IL placement, a far cry from the numbers he's recorded in the past. Earlier this year, he put up a .294 average in Spring Training and has experience at multiple positions (albeit not strong numbers at SS). When Barger returns it's possible they eliminate shortstop from his responsibilities and keep him at the corners (1B, 3B, and RF) to speed up his path to the big leagues.