Blue Jays latest exciting call-up comes with a frustrating catch
The Toronto Blue Jays have been active lately trying to reshape their roster after a lackluster start. They've gotten rid of veterans Cavan Biggio and Daniel Vogelbach and replaced them with young prospects like Spencer Horwitz and Addison Barger. Their roster shake-up continued on Tuesday with Orelvis Martinez getting promoted to the majors.
As exciting as the Martinez promotion is, the corresponding move that Toronto made was placing Bo Bichette on the 10-Day IL with a right calf strain. Bichette had been out of the lineup for the last three games nursing that injury and was unable to avoid the IL.
Bichette hasn't had a Bichette-esque season in 2024, but he was hitting .282 in his last 30 games before this injury. Losing him for any amount of time is a big deal for a Jays team that has struggled to score even with him in the lineup. They're hoping that a bat-first prospect like Martinez can give them a much-needed spark.
Blue Jays make another exciting call-up, but it comes at the expense of All-Star shortstop
Martinez is Toronto's best position player prospect and is their No. 2 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He has been a prospect that Blue Jays fans have been excited about for a while now, so it's exciting to see him finally get the call-up even with the Bichette news.
Martinez, 22, has had another strong year with the bat, slashing .260/.343/.523 with 16 home runs and 46 RBI in 63 games for AAA Buffalo. He's known most for his power, launching at least 28 home runs in each of the last three seasons in the minors. For a Blue Jays team that ranks 27th in the majors in home runs, his power will be a welcome addition to the lineup.
He strikes out a lot and isn't the best defender, but the Jays didn't have many other appealing choices here with Bichette needing to go on the IL. Perhaps they can catch lightning in a bottle with Martinez. Regardless, the hope is that Bichette's IL stint is short. It's hard to envision this Jays team making much of a run at all without him.
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