Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins indicated that Will Wagner could make his MLB debut “sooner than later,” Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.
Wagner, 26, is having an impressive season at Triple-A Sugar Land before being included in the trade package the Houston Astros sent to the Toronto Blue Jays for Yusei Kikuchi. Wager saw time at various positions this year and likely profiles as a utility infielder in the majors. That type of versatility is fitting for the organizational philosophy of a club that has versatile defenders Ernie Clement, Spencer Horwitz, Davis Schneider and Addison Barger.
Will Wagner Could Debut for the Blue Jays This Year
The Blue Jays love their family connections, Will is the son of former All-Star closer Billy Wagner. He ranked as the 13th prospect in the Astros system by MLB Pipeline. Now, he is the 22nd ranked prospect in the Blue Jays system. He was hitting a robust .307/.424/.429 line with five home run for Triple-A Sugarland. Wagner has strong discipline at the plate, having more walks (54) than strikeouts (33) in 70 games. That’s good for a 16.2 percent walk rate against a 10.2 percent strikeout rate in 324 plate appearances. This season, Wager started 33 games at first base, 20 games at second base and eight games at third base.
Like Joey Loperfido, he’s a left-handed bat. Combine that with others like Horwitz and Barger, the Blue Jays have balanced out their position player depth that was once a right-heavy lineup. Wagner has nothing more to prove in the minors. However, he is nothing more than a quality bench bench bat for the time being. He is eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter if not selected onto the 40-man roster, which is part of why Atkins indicated his soon-toobe-be promotion.
Along with Wagner, the Blue Jays acquired 13 other players at the trade deadline.
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