Blue Jays are Expected to Promote Top Prospect Gabriel Moreno to Majors This Weekend
The time has finally come for one of baseball’s highest-rated prospects to make his MLB debut.
On Wednesday, MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson reported that the Toronto Blue Jays are planning to call up catcher Gabriel Moreno from triple-A Buffalo ahead of their weekend series in Detroit versus the Tigers.
It’s unclear if Moreno will be in the lineup for Friday’s series opener, however, he’s slated to be in the building at Comerica Park. The 22-year-old has spent 36 games with the Buffalo Bisons this season.
This recent development has been spurred by the injury to primary catcher Danny Jansen, who was placed on the injured list with a metacarpal fracture (broken pinky) on Tuesday. The team initially recalled Zack Collins from the minors.
When Moreno is officially promoted, the Blue Jays will need to create an opening on their active roster, which could involve optioning Collins back to the minors. However, they could also decide to carry three catchers just as they did earlier this season during Jansen’s first injury stint.
Either way, the team is providing an opportunity to its top young backstop while Jansen recovers from his fractured finger. For now, it appears the veteran catcher will remain sidelined for at least the next few weeks.
In the meantime, Alejandro Kirk is expected to continue catching two or three out of every five days in the rotation. That being said, he’s yet to catch for more than two consecutive days as the coaching staff manages his workload.
This is where Moreno figures to factor into the equation. Assuming Toronto moves forward with just two catchers, the right-hander will likely be featured behind the plate when Kirk is either positioned as the DH or requires a day of rest.
The talented young star certainly seems poised to earn plenty of reps at the highest level of competition during his first stint in the majors.
Moreno, who’s ranked as the No. 4 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, was signed out of Venezuela by Toronto in 2016. He made his professional debut during the 2017 season and played 32 games in the Dominican Summer League.
Last season, the 5’11” catcher opened the year at double-A with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, where he slashed .373/.441/.651 with eight home runs and 45 RBIs across 32 contests. Unfortunately, he missed a large portion of the schedule due to a broken thumb.
Before the 2021 season concluded, Moreno received a late promotion to triple-A Buffalo and logged 10 plate appearances in three games with the Bisons. There, he went 1-for-9 with one hit-by-pitch and a pair of strikeouts.
Coming back strong in ‘22, the native of Venezuela has posted a .324/.380/.404 slash line with 23 RBIs over 150 plate appearances. Though, he’s struggled to hit for power as he owns just one home run and nine extra-base hits.
Following a series victory over the Kansas City Royals, the Blue Jays will hope to continue their winning ways against the Tigers with Moreno on the verge of making his MLB debut.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85