TORONTO -- The Blue Jays could use some power and timely hitting. Down in Triple-A, there’s a prospect with 20 home runs next to their name. You do the math.
Sean Keys has become the Blue Jays’ best story in the upper levels, carrying his red-hot start from Double-A up to Triple-A, where he launched two more home runs Wednesday afternoon. It’s officially breakout season for the Blue Jays’ No. 14 prospect.
One look at the 23-year-old should give you enough of a scouting report. Keys is a big, physical hitter who isn’t up there trying to slap a single the other way. The 2024 fourth-rounder has already surpassed his home run total of 19 from a year ago and is on pace to blow past 30, so what gives? What does Keys need to do to get his shot with the Blue Jays in 2026?
What’s going right:
With numbers like this, prospects begin to work their way into the daily reports and text-message chains that land on manager John Schneider’s phone.
“He’s probably further along than we would have thought or I would have thought,” Schneider said. “We like him offensively. He’s doing really well, obviously. Getting to know him in Spring Training and getting him around [the hitting coaches], they like what the offensive profile can be in terms of power. I think he’s a little bit ahead of schedule in terms of where we thought he was going to be. He’s definitely on the radar.”
Keys looked great down the stretch in 2025 and had all of the right people saying his name this spring in Dunedin, Fla. The Blue Jays’ player development group was extremely optimistic that a breakout season like this was possible, given the underlying numbers on Keys and the exit velocities he’s been putting up. They were right, and if you watch back through his 20 home runs this season, none of them are cheap.
This is where the reality of roster construction comes into play, though. If Keys were an outfielder, he may already be in the big leagues, but he’s a corner infielder.
COMPLETE BLUE JAYS PROSPECT COVERAGE
The final hurdle for Keys:
Keys has split his defensive time fairly evenly between third and first base this season, two positions that aren’t exactly the easiest pathways to playing time in this organization.
“We kind of have a first baseman. Kind of have a third baseman, too. It depends,” Schneider said. “You have to really figure out if the juice is worth the squeeze and what will translate to the big leagues from the Minors in terms of offensive production. You can always find a way. We had Spencer Horwitz playing second base a couple years ago.”
If Keys remains a first baseman and third baseman, this still may take an injury in front of him or some movement around the Trade Deadline. George Springer occupying the DH role in a full-time manner complicates this, too, but if Springer begins to see the odd day in the outfield, perhaps the equation changes.
One wrinkle for Keys:
The Horwitz example used by Schneider is great, because at the time, it felt awfully aggressive to be using Horwitz in that role.
Keys’ defense is still a work in progress, with the Blue Jays optimistic he can develop into a solid defender, albeit not a flashy one, which is just fine if you’re hitting like this. What if Keys could handle another position, though? Would another Horwitz-like experiment be possible, or even an audition in a corner-outfield spot?
After watching Yohendrick Piñango and Jesús Sánchez play this season, the Blue Jays are clearly open to chasing offense, even if it means some defensive adventures.
“There’s always a place for really good offensive players,” general manager Ross Atkins said Tuesday, “and the more versatility you have on your roster, the better. … Trying to add versatility to him will be important.”
If you’re a prospect nut, keep an eye on each day’s lineup down in Buffalo. If you see a new position next to Keys’ name, that’s when this will start to feel real.
“Usually, when guys start hitting, you start asking them to play different spots,” Schneider said.
Even if the Blue Jays stick with Keys at his natural spots, though, his bat could soon be undeniable. This team needs power and timely hitting, anything to break the odd game open. This only grows more valuable as the Trade Deadline nears, too, both to the Blue Jays and any club they may be negotiating deals with.