How does Will Wagner fit into the Blue Jays’ crowded infield picture?

Wagner also has a wealth of experience at third base in the minor leagues, so there’s a potential to groom him into a starter over at the hot corner as well. Ernie Clement filled in admirably at third for the Blue Jays, but the upper hand goes to the player who has the highest offensive upside at that position. And if the Blue Jays don’t sign a designated hitter like Pete Alonso or J.D. Martinez, there’s also the potential for Wagner to get the bulk of at-bats against righties as Toronto’s primary DH.

He wouldn’t serve as protection for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but with a 92.5% zone contact rate, his bat-to-ball skills are among the highest on the roster. That’s a Luis Arráez echelon of contact hitting, and there are a lot of parallels between the two in their batted ball profiles. Plus, Wagner is a lefty to boot in a lineup with a lack of impact left-handed hitters outside of Daulton Varsho.

Yes, we have to consider there’s the chance Wagner spends some time back in the minors in 2025. It would be premature to anoint him the starting second baseman after 24 games in the big leagues. But from that brief sample size down the stretch, Wagner looks like a big league player.

Second base is the Houston native’s natural position, but for Wagner to see regular ABs with the Blue Jays in 2025, he’ll have to stand out as Toronto’s third baseman or designated hitter. However, MLB.com’s scouting report sheds some light on why the Astros dealt Wagner in the first place:

“A sure-handed defender, he lacks the quickness for second base and the arm strength for third, and the Astros moved him primarily to first base in 2024 just before the trade.”

If the Blue Jays plan on deploying Wagner as a Horwitz-light version in 2025, they will face the same roster challenges they encountered last year when it comes to juggling Guerrero between first, the DH spot, and the occasional spot at third while trying to put Wagner in where he can.

Blue Jays using Wagner as the DH

Until now, if the Blue Jays make no further additions to their lineup, Wagner’s clearest path to seeing the most playing time lies at the designated hitter position. I think most would prefer a power-hitting external option, but if the Blue Jays opt to go with internal candidates, Wagner is the best DH option. His plate discipline numbers weren’t great with the Blue Jays, as evidenced by his .337 OBP in 24 games in the majors, but Wagner’s career .402 OBP in 290 career minor league games profiles well for a typical leadoff hitter.

If it feels like we’ve seen this move before, it’s because we have. Wagner was similar to Horwitz before him and Cavan Biggio before that. The Blue Jays have a knack for recycling high OBP/high contact left-handed infielders these last few years.

We still need to see more from Wagner before instilling him at the top of the lineup, but if things continue on this current trajectory, we might encounter another groundswell situation like last year when Davis Schneider was the better leadoff option than George Springer out of the gate. Don’t be alarmed if the Blue Jays experiment with Wagner at the top of the order in 2025. If the coaching staff is a little more flexible in their lineup construction, it may happen sooner rather than later.

Wagner’s bat will determine whether he stays in this lineup. John Schneider will find a spot to pencil Wagner into the lineup if he continues to make contact and put the ball in play. Like many of these young players, he’ll get a lot of runway to prove himself if the Blue Jays don’t add any further external candidates to their roster.