Blue Jays 40-man Roster Review: Joey Loperfido had ups and downs after the trade

Joey Loperfido is a young player worth monitoring next season.

This is Blue Jays Nation’s annual 40-man Roster Review, where we look at the players on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster. We’ll look at how the player performed in 2024, his season projections for the 2025 season, and any storylines heading into this coming season. In this article, we’ll look at Joey Loperfido.

Loperfido was selected in the seventh round of the 2021 draft by the Houston Astros. He didn’t have much success immediately after the draft, but he broke out in 2022 where he slashed .316/.408/.492 with 12 home runs in 461 plate appearances in Single-A and High-A. In 2023, he slashed .278/.370/.510 with 25 home runs in 540 plate appearances for a 125 wRC+ between High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A.

The outfielder found success in Triple-A in 2024, slashing .272/.365/.568 with 13 home runs in 189 plate appearances for a 124 wRC+. However, Loperfido struggled to get his footing with the big league team, slashing .236/.299/.358 with two home runs in 118 plate appearances for an 89 wRC+ and a 0.4 fWAR.

Before the 2024 trade deadline, he was traded to the Blue Jays along with Jake Bloss and Will Wagner for Yusei Kikuchi. Loperfido got a look with the Jays for the rest of the 2024 season, slashing .197/.236/.343 with two home runs in 144 plate appearances with a 61 wRC+ and a -0.2 fWAR. A high point of his season was a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth.

His projections from Fangraphs aren’t too great. Steamer has him slashing .218/.283/.361 with four home runs in 148 plate appearances for an 83 wRC+. Both OOPSY and ATC’s projections are pretty similar as well.

With the Blue Jays signing Anthony Santander, what is Loperfido’s role in 2025? Well, Daulton Varsho may start the season on the Injured List due to shoulder surgery he had in September, meaning reps in centre field may be available. Loperfido played 115 innings in centre last season with the Jays, posting 2 Defensive Runs Saved and 0 Outs Above Average. He’s a good bet to earn a few looks at the position.