The most likely "next man up" for Blue Jays was just assigned to minor league camp

It was the best spring Josh Kasevich could have hoped for. The 25-year-old infield prospect completely fit in with the Toronto Blue Jays lineup during his 20 games played in Grapefruit League action and should be the very first player getting called up to the majors this season.

Kasevich was one of four players assigned to minor league camp by the Blue Jays on Friday (Mar. 20) as they continue to whittle down the roster before next Friday's Opening Day.

Josh Kasevich has earned the right to be on the Blue Jays short list for call ups early in the season

The other three players that were assigned with Kasevich included the Blue Jays minor league Player of the Year in outfielder RJ Schreck. another outfield prospect who had a strong finish to 2025 in Yohendrick Pinango, and catcher CJ Stubbs who signed a minor league contract this past offseason.

But what has set Kasevich apart from his peers is his approach at the plate, which already looks like it's major league ready. Kasevich hit .306/.375/.500 with a strikeout rate of 5%. He hit one home run, drove in five RBIs, and stole a pair of bases while also playing excellent defense at multiple infield positions.

The former second round pick (2022 MLB draft) by the Blue Jays has always had solid hit tools and looked like he was already on a steady path to the majors until he got into injury trouble the last year. But he's seemingly bounced back, looking to make up for lost time, and trying to give the Blue Jays a difficult choice to make if one of the other more established players gets off to a slow start.

At this point the Blue Jays look to be bringing newcomer Kazuma Okamoto, Ernie Clement, Andrés Giménez and Davis Schneider north, while they still have infielder Leo Jiménez in tow and he is out of options, which means he either has to make the team, or be exposed to waivers. They've also got Addison Barger, who has mostly been used in the outfield in spring, but can spare at third base if the need is there.

This is a pretty solid group for the Blue Jays to run with out of the gate and for the most part they probably have a good feeling of what they know they are going to get from at least four of those five guys, giving Kasevich a huge pool of players to have to wade through in order to earn his shot in the majors. But it's also a group that is one injury away from needed some protection, and Kasevich has proven he can provide that protection with his play this spring.