Depth Check: The Blue Jays' Corner Infielders for 2027

[Bryan Jaeger]

The Toronto Blue Jays struggled with injuries this past season. However, they had steady starters at the infield corners, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. playing in 144 games and Kazuma Okamoto in 156, though their performances differed greatly. 

Okamoto led all Blue Jays position players in fWAR this season with a 3.0 rating, driven by a strong bat but hampered by mediocre defense. Guerrero posted the second-worst fWAR (1.1) of his eight-year career, excluding the 2020 shortened season. He leaned heavily on his strong defense but produced the worst offensive output of his career. 

Check out prior entries in our Depth Check series here:

• Catcher
• Outfield

The Starters

Guerrero will return next season as the nearly everyday first baseman, while occasionally filling in at designated hitter. He’s been a consistent lineup fixture over the last six seasons, playing in at least 140 games each year. In the first five of those campaigns, he hit at least 23 home runs. However, Vladdy hit only nine this season over 609 plate appearances. That’s the same number of homers as he hit in 2020, with 366 fewer PA. 

Guerrero’s 48 homers in 2021 were an anomaly, because he’s not a prototypical power hitter. He’s a line-drive hitter who can use his strength to drive an occasional liner out of the ballpark. The Blue Jays' first baseman’s fly ball percentage has declined in each of the past four seasons, from 21.7 percent in 2023 to 19.3 percent last year (per Baseball Savant), the second-lowest rate of his career. 

Even Vladdy’s pull-air percentage was extremely low, sitting at 12.4 percent. It was lower than his straight and oppo flyball rates, both at 19.5 percent. This statistic isn’t a good sign for a player who has a $500 million contract or for a team desperate for power.

Although Guerrero was disappointing at the plate, he was highly successful on defense. Over nearly 1,000 defensive opportunities, he posted a .992 fielding percentage with only eight errors. He also posted 6 outs above average. It was the first time in his career he finished with a positive rating in this metric, ranking fourth among 43 eligible first basemen. 

At third base, Okamoto was the Blue Jays' primary power source in 2026. His 33 long balls accounted for more than 20 percent of the team's 152 home runs, leaving them last in MLB. George Springer (15), Alejandro Kirk (10), and Nathan Lukes (10) were the only other Blue Jays with double-digit home runs.

Okamoto, the former Nippon Professional Baseball player, had a successful MLB debut, but he posted a high strikeout rate (28.8 percent). This may have been because it was his first time facing MLB pitchers, something fellow rookie from the NPB, Munetaka Murakami also struggled with. However, the Chicago White Sox slugger was far worse in terms of swing-and-miss, posting a 35.4 percent strikeout rate.

Although Okamoto hit well, he was not so successful with his glove at third base. He had 89 putouts but posted a .935 fielding percentage with 20 errors. The Blue Jays third baseman posted a -2 OAA, ranking 29th among 43 eligible third basemen. However, he was much better at first base, sporting a .990 fielding percentage over 100 opportunities with only one error.

Both will return next season as mainstays at their positions, but they have clear offseason focuses.

The Bench

Vladdy and Okamoto stayed healthy and logged innings for most of the season, so backups had few opportunities to appear at corner infield positions. Okamoto, Sean Keys, and Charles McAdoo all made appearances at both positions. Keys and McAdoo will return as positional depth, but it's unlikely that both will make the Opening Day roster.

Josh Smith and Ernie Clement saw a few games at third base. Both players are eligible for raises in arbitration this offseason. Clement could be a surprising non-tender candidate, as he’ll be 31 when next season begins, and he became a liability offensively and defensively in the second half of 2026. Smith will still be 29 for the majority of next season, but the Blue Jays could non-tender him to open a 40-man roster spot for one of their promising, Rule 5-eligible prospects. 

Smith was a disappointment after coming over from the Texas Rangers in the trade that sent Adam Macko away and brought in prospect Josh Stephan. Smith slashed .184/.276/.408 in 89 plate appearances. So, aside from his experience and ability to play multiple positions, he doesn’t offer anything a prospect can’t.

Addison Barger will be back healthy next season and can handle third base if needed, making the decision to non-tender Smith and/or Clement easier. Barger hit 21 home runs and slashed .245/.301/.454 over 502 PA in 2025. However, he was abysmal in his brief season this year, slashing .045/.214/.091 with zero homers, but he only had 28 PA. 

Multiple injuries derailed Barger's season. He was placed on the 10-day injury list on April 5 with an ankle sprain. He returned to the Blue Jays on May 9 but suffered an elbow injury in the game after a 101 mph throw from right field. Barger returned to the injured list and underwent surgery on July 27. Luckily, he avoided a full Tommy John surgery and was able to receive an internal brace procedure. This greatly reduces his recovery time, and he is on track to be ready for spring training.

40-Man Depth

Currently, no other players on the 40-man roster can play corner infield. Luis Urías is about to become a free agent, but he could be a cheap veteran to re-sign for depth. The Blue Jays love utility players, and Urías fits the bill, playing every infield position except first base. However, the team has prospects who deserve a roster spot.

Shawn Ross is listed as a catcher and corner infielder. He will be a valuable depth piece if Alejandro Kirk or Brandon Valenzuela suffer an injury. Ross could also give Guerrero or Okamoto a day off when needed. 

Rule 5 Eligible Depth

Jay Harry hasn’t played the hot corner since 2024, so he isn’t listed as a third baseman. However, he has the skills to play anywhere on the field. He started his minor league career hot through 2021-2023, but he drastically stepped back the next two seasons, combining to hit .206. 

He broke out this season, though, slashing .298/.394/.495 across three different minor league levels. Harry’s ability to make contact and play multiple positions makes him a strong Rule 5 draft pick, unless the Blue Jays protect him by adding him to the 40-man roster.

Josh Kasevich is a contact hitter who slashed .282/.364/.363 with Triple-A Buffalo this season. He offers minimal power, hitting no more than seven home runs in any season. Kasevich's positives are his strong glove and ability to play any infield position, which he did with Buffalo. However, that isn’t enough for a team to select him and keep him on its 26-man roster all season.

Tucker Toman, Nick Goodwin, Cutter Coffey, Peyton Williams, and Josh Rivera are also eligible for the Rule 5 draft. However, according to Jays Centre's rankings, none are ranked among the top 20 Blue Jays prospects. This makes them unlikely to be selected by another team. 

More Minor League Depth

Dub Gleed and $250,000 in international bonus pool money came over in the trade that sent Leo Jiménez to the Miami Marlins after the Blue Jays designated Jiménez for assignment. Gleed fits the profile of a contact hitter, like most utility players in the Blue Jays organization. He’s projected to make his MLB debut next season, but likely after Harry and Kasevich, unless Gleed has a hot start to the season with Buffalo.

Juan Sanchez is the team's number four prospect, and Ryan Sprock is just outside the top 20 of Jays Centre's rankings. They can both play third base, but neither has reached Double A. They also aren't expected to make their MLB debuts until 2028 at the earliest. 

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