JUNE 27: The Blue Jays have selected Keys’ contract, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports. To clear room on their 26-man roster, they optioned Schneider to Triple-A Buffalo. This is the second time this year the Jays have optioned Schneider, who has slumped to a .153/.282/.296 line with three homers in 118 trips to the plate. Schneider entered the season with two years and 29 days of service time. Depending on how long Schneider is down, it could jeopardize his chances of reaching three years’ service time, becoming eligible for arbitration in the offseason, and remaining on track to hit free agency after 2029.
JUNE 26: The Blue Jays are calling up infielder Sean Keys, reports Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. The Jays will need to make corresponding moves to add Keys to both the 40-man and active rosters. He probably won’t be officially added until Saturday, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.
Keys, 23, was a fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft. He got into 22 Single-A games after that draft selection, making 98 plate appearances. His 21.4% strikeout rate was around average while he drew walks at a strong 13.3% clip. He slashed .293/.378/.451 for a 134 wRC+. He spent 2025 at the High-A level with more strong results. He hit 19 home runs and drew walks at a 16.3% clip. Despite a low .250 batting average on balls in play, he slashed .217/.365/.408 for a 119 wRC+.
He has been even better here in 2025. He started at Double-A and got promoted to Triple-A earlier this month. Between those two stops, he already has 21 homers on the year. His 23.1% strikeout rate is fine and his 13.6% walk rate quite strong. He has a combined .284/.409/.619 line and 164 wRC+ on the year. Baseball America lists him as the club’s #14 prospect, with his bat receiving much more praise than his speed or his glovework.
Given that impressive run of strong results from the batter’s box, the Jays will call him up to see if he can give their big league lineup a jolt. What remains to be seen is how they will fit him in defensively. Keys has only ever played first or third base in his professional career. Nicholson-Smith reported this week that the Jays had started thinking about getting Keys some corner outfield reps, but that hasn’t happened in any official game capacity yet.
The Jays have Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as their regular first baseman, Kazuma Okamoto at third and George Springer as the regular designated hitter. Guerrero has been having a rough season, relative to his own lofty standards. He only has four home runs. He has missed some time this month with some back tightness, without going on the injured list. Perhaps the presence of Keys will allow him to head to the IL or simply just sit more often.
Okamoto’s first MLB season has seen him strike out a lot but he leads the team with 18 home runs, more than double anyone else on the squad. He will stay in the lineup, though perhaps he could spend more time at first if Guerrero is going to take some time off. Okamoto did play some left field in Japan but made just 26 appearances there after the 2019 season.
Springer hasn’t played the field yet this year but logged over 400 innings in the outfield last year. Manager John Schneider told Matheson earlier this month that the Jays were considering putting Springer in right field from time to time. If Springer were to put on his glove occasionally, that could cut into the playing time of other outfielders. The Jays use Nathan Lukes and Jesús Sánchez mostly against righties, while Myles Straw and Davis Schneider see more time against lefties.
Time will tell how the Jays make the playing time work but it’s understandable that they would look boost their lineup. The team has a collective .249/.311/.391 line and 96 wRC+ this year, putting them in the bottom third of the clubs in the majors. They have a lackluster 39-42 record, though that’s enough for them to be tied for a playoff spot in the weak American League field. Any kind of edge could be a difference-maker in that tight race, so they’ll see if Keys can help them unlock some more offense.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
