Blue Jays send Sean Keys back to Triple-A

Okamoto has been one of the few bright spots in a mostly nightmarish campaign for the Blue Jays. It’s his first off day since June 30. It’ll be rookie Sean Keys handling the hot corner in his place.

The Blue Jays have been careful to mix in off days for Springer in an effort to keep him healthy for the remainder of the season. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will serve as the club’s designated hitter in his absence while Sean Keys draws a start at first base and will bat sixth against White Sox’ right-hander Sean Burke on Sunday afternoon in Toronto.

Springer missed six straight games over the past week and a half for unspecified reasons before returning to action on Wednesday. This appears to be just a routine day off. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will function as the team’s designated hitter on Sunday while Sean Keys draws a start at first base and will bat seventh against Padres’ right-hander German Marquez.

The Blue Jays continue to struggle offensively and they’re without Springer in the lineup for a sixth consecutive contest. The 36-year-old veteran was activated prior to Monday’s series opener, but remains stapled to Toronto’s bench. It’s a bit unclear why he’s not in the lineup at this juncture. Hopefully there is some clarity on his status at some point relatively soon. It’ll be rookie Sean Keys at DH on Tuesday night at Oracle Park.

Keys broke this game open with a two out, three-run home run in the third inning. It was the first home run of his career and came in front of a raucous crowd at Rogers Centre in Toronto celebrating Canada Day. If he could find regular playing time, he’d be an intriguing corner infield option with a strong underlying profile in the upper minors. This was his third start in five games since being called up and his first at designated hitter after getting the call at first twice while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. battled a tight back. He drew this start because George Springer had a day off, so it’s still a wait and see situation as to Keys getting regular playing time.

It sounds like a precautionary move and fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. It’ll be rookie Sean Keys moving over to cover first base with Ernie Clement at the hot corner and Luis Urías entering the lineup at second. Guerrero has been through a tough season at the plate with just four home runs across 81 games. There should be an update on his status following Tuesday’s contest in Toronto.

Keys is at first base and hitting sixth against the Rangers in his major-league debut with Vladimir Guerrero getting a break from the field at DH and George Springer taking a seat. The unheralded 23-year-old power-hitting prospect has put together a true breakout campaign after making some mechanical tweaks to his swing, slashing .284/.409/.619 with 21 homers and seven steals in 286 plate appearances in the upper levels of Toronto’s system. He’ll need to produce at the dish to keep his roster spot with the Blue Jays, but he’s an interesting bat-first prospect that fantasy managers should have on their radar screens, especially in deeper mixed leagues.

Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith says the move will officially happen Saturday. Keys has been terrific in hitting .284/.409/.619 between Double- and Triple-A this season, but it will be interesting to see how the Jays try to use him. He’s experienced at both third and first, though he’s mostly played first since moving up to Triple-A. He hasn’t played any other positions in games. The Jays probably wouldn’t promote him unless they intended to start him against most righties. Perhaps they’ll give George Springer or Kazuma Okamoto some outfield time.

Keys is having quite the breakout season. After an underwhelming first full professional season in 2025, Keys hit .285/.411/.581 with 14 home runs and 34 RBI in 49 games at Double-A to begin the season and was quickly promoted. Since getting to Triple-A, he has continued to hit, slashing .281/.403/.719 with seven home runs, 20 RBI, and a 15/11 K/BB ratio in 18 games. Despite how many All-Stars they are going to get, the Jays’ offense could certainly use a little bit more punch. The only issue is that Keys plays first base and third base, two positions that are covered in Toronto. There are some reports that he’s been getting some work at second base as well, and if he starts to games there, that could be a sign a promotion is close.