Teoscar Hernandez headlines intriguing first wave of Blue Jays callups

For a team fallen out of the playoff race like the Toronto Blue Jays, September callups present an opportunity to take a long look at guys that could be part of a turnaround for the team the next year.

They can also reward hard-working veterans for a slog through the minor leagues, or give players who could be a factor deeper into the future a taste of big league life. In the first round of their promotions Friday, the Blue Jays added a group of five players who fall into all three of those buckets.

The headliner is undoubtedly outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who was the primary piece of the Francisco Liriano trade. Hernandez is hitting a healthy .265/.351/.490 in 456 trips to the plate at the Triple-A level this year and figures to challenge for a corner spot with the Blue Jays in 2018. The 24-year-old has an intriguing power-speed combo (18 home runs and 16 steals this season) and held his own in a 41-game stint in the majors in 2016. He currently ranks as the Blue Jays’ No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline.

No one else on the list of callups has potential to make as big a mark on the Blue Jays next year, but there are still some interesting names joining the roster.

Here are the other four players the club brought up:

Carlos Ramirez

Age: 26

Position: Reliever

Throws: Right

2017 stats: 0.00 ERA in 37.2 innings with a 10.8 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 (Combined Double-A and Triple-A)

The skinny: Ramirez’s age would make you think he’s not a legitimate prospect, but he began his professional career as an outfielder and has only been pitching full-time since 2015. The fact he’s gotten to the highest level with only 152.2 pro innings under his belt is pretty impressive.

ERA is one of the worst statistics to judge a minor-league pitcher by, but it’s hard to argue with a zero and his clean sheet is certainly part of what’s earned him this big-league look. The righty throws in the mid-90s with a nasty slider as a strikeout pitch, and this year his control has improved considerably. He could certainly factor into 2018 bullpen discussions if he shows well this month.

Richard Urena

Age: 21

Position: Shortstop

Hits: Switch

2017 stats: .247/.286/.359 line with 5 home runs in 551 PA with a .960 Fielding Percentage at SS (Double-A)

The skinny: Urena didn’t light the world on fire with his bat in New Hampshire, but that can be forgiven considering how young he is for the level. His best tools are on the defensive side of the game, meaning he could be a welcome addition to a Blue Jays club that has been poor defensively all year and even worse lately.

It seems unlikely Urena will get a ton of playing time with the club — he’s likely to be outmatched by big-league pitching at this point — but he could come in as a substitute to run or play some defence, allowing manager John Gibbons to pinch hit for his current light-hitting middle infield crew late in games.

Luke Maile

Age: 26

Position: Catcher

Hits: Right

2017 stats: .121/.154/.202 line with 5 home runs in 104 PA with the Blue Jays.

The skinny: With Russell Martin on the shelf, the Blue Jays have demonstrated an embarrassing inability to contain the running game, and if nothing else Maile can help there. Though he’s had a very rough time at the plate this year, he’s undoubtedly an asset behind it.

Maile’s likely to get some pretty significant playing time down the stretch and if he can produce more at the plate he has the opportunity to put himself in the driver’s seat in the team’s 2018 backup catcher competition.

Michael Saunders

Age: 30

Position: Outfielder

Hits: Left

2017 stats: .205/.257/.360 with 6 home runs in 214 PA with the Phillies, .274/.321/.404 with 2 home runs in 156 PA at Triple-A

The skinny: On Wednesday night Gibbons was asked if Saunders was going to get a September callup and he answered with a big smile and the words “stay tuned” — one of his favourite phrases when speaking to the media. In Gibbonese “stay tuned” means “yes” 99 times out of 100, so it’s no surprise to see Saunders up.

The Canadian outfielder doesn’t solve any of the problems on the current Blue Jays roster, and it would be a surprise to see him carve out a role in 2018. That said, he’s a favourite in the clubhouse and the manager’s office and should be a positive presence on a frustrated squad as well a handy left-handed bat off the bench.

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