TORONTO -- Devon Travis is a grown man. Now 26, Travis is in his third Major League season, keeps a beard and can hit a baseball very hard and very far.
But on the upcoming Players Weekend (Aug. 25-27), Devon Travis is "The Baby."
This nickname, which Travis will wear on the back of his jersey for Players Weekend, was given to him on a 2016 road trip by Blue Jays infielder Ryan Goins -- or "Go Go."
• Players Weekend gear available at MLBShop.com
"We were in San Francisco or Seattle, and on the road I always sleep a lot," Travis said. "I don't really come out of my room too much. They said I'm The Baby, because all I do is sleep, eat … we'll just leave it at sleeping and eating. And I was one of the younger guys on the team."
• Players Weekend: Nicknames of the game
The brand of Travis as "The Baby" caught on among Blue Jays players in 2016, with many wearing a custom T-shirt of a cartoon baby's face meant to be Travis'. On a handful of occasions, Travis celebrated a base hit by looking back to the dugout and rubbing his closed hands over his eyes, mimicking a baby.
Along with personal nicknames, players will have the opportunity to wear uniquely colored and designed spikes, batting gloves, wristbands, compression sleeves, catcher's masks and bats. The sleeves of their jerseys will feature a patch that shows a child evolving into a Major Leaguer, with a blank space underneath to pay respect to a person that has helped each player advance their baseball career.
"I think it's really cool," Travis said. "Just to add a little excitement to the game. The fans can maybe get a little understanding of guys off the field and away from, just out here, what they're called. A little meaning behind what they do."
Game-worn Players Weekend jerseys will be auctioned at MLB.com/auctions, with 100 percent of net proceeds donated to the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation, a joint effort established in July 2015 by MLB and the MLBPA, with an initial commitment of $30 million focused on improving the caliber, effectiveness and availability of amateur baseball and softball programs across the U.S. and Canada.
MLB fans can get their first look at the Players Weekend uniforms on Sunday, when the Pirates and Cardinals play the MLB Little League Classic during the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.