Joey Loperfido #36

Was a three-year letterwinner at Memorial High School in Haddonfield, N.J., graduating in 2017...was a 2017 Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American...rated as the No. 84 shortstop nationally and the No. 14 overall prospect in New Jersey by Perfect Game for the 2017 recruiting class...hit over .400 as a sophomore, junior and senior, including .431 his junior year...also lettered in soccer...went undrafted out of high school...Went on to attend Duke, where he had a decorated four-year career (2018-21)...helped Duke reach the NCAA postseason in three consecutive seasons (2018-19, '21) for the first time in program history...owned a slash line of .317/.419/.488 with 18 homers and 41 steals in 170 starts in his Duke career...had a historic senior season in which he was named the 2021 ACC Championship Tournament MVP as Duke won the ACC Tournament for the first time in program history...at the time of his graduation, he ranked 10th in Duke history in OBP (.419), 14th in steals (41), 17th in runs scored (142) and 20th in batting average (.317)...Drafted by Houston in the seventh round of the June 2021 draft...signed by Astros scout Andrew Johnson...An avid cook, Loperfido displays his culinary creations via Instagram (@ joe__cooks)...he even treated his teammates, coaches and members of the media to his homemade paella during Spring Training in 2024, which teammate Jose Altuve gave a 10-out-of-10 rating...he cited his parents for inspiring him and teaching him how to cook and claims the biggest challenge he's faced cooking is preparing meals for large groups of people...Set to enter his second stint with the Astros…was traded as part of a three-player package to the Blue Jays for LHP Yusei Kikuchi on July 29, 2024...in a gathering with the media following the Astros game that day, an emotional Loperfido expressed his appreciation for the way the Astros organization treated him and that he felt at home...on Feb. 13, 2026, a few days before the club’s first full-squad workout of the year, Loperfido was reacquired by the Astros from the Blue Jays in exchange for OF Jesús Sánchez.

2025

Was a strong offensive contributor through 41 games in two stints with the Blue Jays, batting .333 (32-for-96) with four doubles, four home runs, 14 RBI, an .879 OPS (.379 OBP/.500 SLG) and a 140 OPS+...Batted .333 (3-for-9) with a home run, two RBI and two walks as a pinch-hitter...Averaged a sprint speed of 28.5 mph, ranking in the 81st percentile among Major League players...Made 32 defensive appearances in left field, with the other nine appearances coming in right field...Hit .389 (7-for-18) with a double and nine RBI when batting with runners in scoring position...also hit .350 (7-for-20) vs. left-handed pitchers...In July, batted .396 (21-for-53) with a double, three home runs, eight RBI and a 1.033 OPS (.448 OBP/.585 SLG) through 19 games...Posted back-to-back three-hit games (July 29-30), matching his single-game career high for hits...also posted a three-hit game on Aug. 4 at COL...Was a member of the Blue Jays' ALCS roster during the Postseason, going 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter in his lone appearance of the series...Spent the rest of the season with Triple A Buffalo and batted .264 (87-for-329) with 22 doubles, seven homers, 44 RBI, 11 stolen bases and a .743 OPS (.341 OBP/.401 SLG) in 91 games.

2024

Between the Majors and Triple-A, hit .237 (96-for-405) with 20 doubles, five triples, 17 homers, 65 runs scored, 58 RBI, a 7.5% walk rate, a 32.8% strikeout rate, a .318 wOBA, a .437 SLG, a .744 OPS, an average exit velocity of 88.9mph...Appeared in 39 contests at Triple-A Sugar Land, batting .272 (44-for-162) with seven doubles, a triple, 13 homers, 33 RBI, 21 BB, a .568 SLG, a .933 OPS and a 121 wRC+...Recorded 6 DRS in LF...Posted a launch angle sweet spot rate of 40.7% in the Majors...In close and late situations this season, batted .289 (11-for-38) with three doubles, a homer, six RBI, a .447 SLG and a .755 OPS...Selected to the Major League roster for the first time on April 30...Recalled on June 8 & 21...Played 38 games with HOU, making his MLB debut on April 30, recording his first MLB hit with a two-run single off RHP Carlos Carrasco in the fourth inning...Recorded his first career MLB home run with a two-run shot off RHP Joey Estes on May 16 vs. OAK...Traded to TOR along with RHP Jake Bloss and INF Will Wagner in exchange for LHP Yusei Kikuchi on July 29...On Aug. 18 at CHC, drove in the game’s only run with his first home run as a Blue Jay...Tied the game at 4-4 in the ninth inning on Aug. 23 vs. LAA with a solo home run, his first at Rogers Centre...On Sept. 10 vs. NYM, notched a bat speed of 87.6 MPH on a groundout in the fifth inning, the second fastest swing by a Blue Jay on the year.

2023

Was named the Astros Minor League Player of the Year in 2023, batting a combined .278 (130x467) with 27 doubles, 25 HR, 78 RBI, 27 steals and an .880 OPS...began the year with High A Asheville (8g) and was promoted to Double A Corpus Christi (84g) before closing out the year with Triple A Sugar Land (32g)...played all over the field defensively, appearing in a combined 43 games at center field, 21 games at second base, 20 games at right field, 19 games at first base and 14 games at left field...was the only player in the Astros system and one of five players in all of Minor League Baseball with at least 25 HR and 25 steals...led Astros Minor Leaguers in hits and doubles and was second in homers and RBI...was selected as a Texas League Postseason ALL-STAR after batting .296 (93x314) with 19 HR, 57 RBI and 20 steals in 84 games with Corpus Christi... was also named the Baseball America Astros Minor League Player of the Year...was voted as an Astros MiLB.com Organizational ALL-STAR for his second consecutive season...was named the Astros Minor League Player of the Month for April while playing with between Corpus Christi and Asheville.