OFFICIAL: We’ve acquired OF Jesús Sánchez from the Astros in exchange for OF Joey Loperfido. Welcome to our #BlueJays family!
Blue Jays acquire outfielder Jesus Sanchez from the Astros

Photo credit: Photo Credit: William Liang, Imagn Images
Feb 13, 2026, 11:16 EST
The Toronto Blue Jays have completed an outfielder swap.
Joey Loperfido has been traded back to the Houston Astros in exchange for outfielder Jesús Sánchez, the team announced Friday.
The trade reorients the Blue Jays’ outfield depth chart and comes shortly after it was announced that Anthony Santander would undergo labral surgery and miss five to six months.
Sánchez, a career .253/.324/.450 hitter against right-handed pitching (111 wRC+), stands to pack a punch against from the left side of the platoon while likely splitting time in the outfield with Davis Schneider and Nathan Lukes.
Born in the Dominican Republic, Sanchez had 14 home runs, 13 stolen bases and 48 RBIs last season to go along with a .237/.304/.395 slash line over 134 games split between the Miami Marlins and Astros. He was traded to Houston at the deadline for a return of Ryan Gusto, Chase Jaworsky, and Esmil Valencia. He struggled down the stretch with the Astros, hitting for a .199 average and .611 OPS.
Sanchez, 28, had spent the first five-and-a-half seasons of his career with the Marlins. He is owed $6.8 million in 2026 and will become a free agent after this season.
Meanwhile, Loperfido is headed back to Houston after initially being acquired from the Astros in the Yusei Kikuchi trade.
The 26-year-old spent parts of one-and-a-half seasons with the Blue Jays, going back and forth from the majors and Triple-A Buffalo.
He played 84 total games for Toronto, collecting six home runs and 23 RBIs and slashing .253/.296/.408. His best numbers with the Jays came in 2o25, when he contributed four homers and 14 RBIs and had a .333/.379/.500 line over 41 games.

Presented by Betway
Breaking News
- The Blue Jays’ top 5 regression candidates for 2026
- Blue Jays: Will Brendon Little’s revampled fastball get him back on track?
- Blue Jays: Strong World Baseball Classic showing has Adam Macko on the doorstep of the Major Leagues
- World Baseball Classic Morning Recap: Italy continues its historic run and Venezuela knocks off the defending champion
- Blue Jays: Max Scherzer providing crucial rotation insurance when it suddenly became necessary
