Blue Jays Send Top Prospect Back To Triple-A

He came up as the top prospect in the Toronto Blue Jays system, and didn't fare too badly when all was said and done. But Gabriel Moreno likely knew that his stay in the big leagues was limited, at least this time around.

Not an unexpected #BlueJays roster move. Danny Jansen is activated off the IL and Gabriel Moreno is getting optioned back down to Triple A. That leaves Zack Collins on the bench as their third catcher

— Kaitlyn McGrath (@kaitlyncmcgrath) July 12, 2022

Moreno has been optioned back to Triple-A Buffalo after the Jays activated catcher Danny Jansen off the IL. Jansen has missed three weeks with a hamate bone fracture. He also missed a month early in the season with an oblique injury. 

The 22-year-old Moreno—the Jays No. 1 prospect—hit .276 in his 18-game trial, with a .593 OPS and four RBIs. He'll have a chance to get in a bigger workload down in Buffalo, where he was hitting .324 before his call-up.

Jansen returns to the lineup to find the catcher's spot in a bit of a different scenario than when he left. Alejandro Kirk has lit the league on fire, become a must-start player, and was named the American League All-Star starter.

But the 27-year-old Jansen will still get plenty of opportunities behind the plate, with Kirk taking DH duties when that happens. 

When he has played this season, Jansen has shown power galore, with 7 home runs and 13 RBIs in just 19 games. His OPS is .915 — 200 points higher than his career average.

Photo Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports