TORONTO — Not long after Sean Keys hit his 19th and 20th home runs of the season, the powerful Toronto Blue Jays prospect came up in conversation in the manager’s office at Rogers Centre.
Ahead of Wednesday’s series finale against the Houston Astros, John Schneider spoke highly of the 23-year-old Keys, who now has six homers at triple-A to go along with the 14 he already hit at double-A.
Not only are Blue Jays decision makers watching Keys’ progress with interest, but they’re also looking to build up his defensive versatility. Behind the scenes, there’s talk of trying Keys in left or right field as a way to create more pathways to big-league playing time for a bat that may already be MLB-ready.
"He's probably farther along than we would have thought or I would have thought,” Schneider said. “He’s doing really well, obviously (and) a little bit ahead of schedule from where we thought he would be. So, definitely on the radar.”
After posting a .993 OPS at double-A, Keys now has a 1.120 OPS at triple-A. Those are the kind of numbers that typically get players promoted before long, but it’s not immediately clear where the Blue Jays would play Keys, a corner infielder.
“We kind of have a first baseman,” Schneider said with a smile. “Kind of have a third baseman. I think you have to really figure out if the juice is worth the squeeze, if that’s the right way to put it. And what will translate from the minors to the big leagues in terms of offensive production. You can always find a way, for sure.”
As Schneider pointed out, the Blue Jays had Spencer Horwitz play second base in 2024 even when it was clear his best defensive position was first.
"Usually when guys start hitting, you start asking them to play some different spots,” Schneider noted.
Two years later, as another promising left-handed hitter nears the majors, the Blue Jays are again thinking about ways to add versatility.
“There's always a place for really good offensive players,” GM Ross Atkins said when asked about Keys Tuesday. “The more versatility that you have on your roster, the better. (And) trying to add versatility to him will be important.”
Of course, even if Keys were to become a serviceable corner outfielder, the Blue Jays’ depth chart is already crowded there with left-handed hitters like Jesus Sanchez, Nathan Lukes, Yohendrick Pinango and the currently injured Addison Barger, along with the right-handed hitting Davis Schneider and Myles Straw.
Add in first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and third baseman Kazuma Okamoto at Keys’ most comfortable positions, and the path to playing time isn’t exactly clear. At this point, the former fourth-round pick isn’t on the 40-man roster either, meaning he’d need his contract selected and another player would have to be removed.
But even if it’s not immediately clear where Keys would play, his bat is making the conversation interesting and he’s really just one injury away from being a far cleaner fit. Under those circumstances, his progress — both offensively and defensively — will be worth watching.
As Atkins said: “If he's good enough, we'll find a way for him to help our team.”
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