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Blue Jays: How Jesus Sanchez shakes up the everyday lineup
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Photo credit: © Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
Tristan Morgan
Feb 15, 2026, 09:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 15, 2026, 10:34 EST
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When the Toronto Blue Jays acquired outfielder Jesús Sánchez from the Houston Astros earlier this week, it was easy to celebrate the power potential he brings to the team’s offence, especially as Anthony Santander hits the injured list for 5–6 months with shoulder surgery. But beyond the excitement of the trade, it creates a greater ripple effect to impacts the outfield and beyond as well. 
The Blue Jays have been all-in on building depth in recent years, and before adding Sanchez, the outfield already felt like a busy spot for 2026. With recent injuries and the departure of Bo Bichette, the team now has to adjust and get creative with its day-to-day lineup, playing into the individual strengths of its players, something Sanchez should benefit from.
Over 134 games in 2025, Sanchez hit .237 with 14 home runs and 48 RBIs. With this, he brings a particular skill set: left-handed power against right-handed pitching. For his career, he has launched 73 home runs, 64 of which came against right-handed pitchers, while providing serviceable defence in right field with a plus arm.
At a glance, Sánchez’s numbers aren’t eye-popping, but his underlying metrics tell a bigger story. His average exit velocity in 2024 was 92.5mph, ranking 17th in MLB, and in 2025 it was 91.3 mph, 47th in the league. Alongside his exit velocity, his bat speed has consistently remained above the 90th percentile, paired with an .800 OPS against righties since 2023.
Fans may also remember that, in 2022, while playing for the Miami Marlins, Sánchez famously launched a 496-foot home run at Coors Field with an exit velocity of 114 mph — the fifth-longest in the Statcast Era (since 2015).
After a spring of work with Blue Jays hitting coach David Popkins, Sánchez’s power potential could be a real weapon for the offence. If Toronto leans into matchups this season as expected, he should see significant playing time in the outfield when a right-handed pitcher is starting, which could create inconsistent playing time for other players.
Before Sánchez arrived, it seemed likely Addison Barger would spend more time in right field than at third base, with Kazuma Okamoto expected to be the regular at third. With Sánchez in the lineup against a righty, Toronto could field an outfield of Sánchez, Daulton Varsho, and Nathan Lukes, pushing Barger back to third. Without Santander or Bichette, the Blue Jays will lean heavily into upside to generate offence, potentially splitting Barger’s time at third with Okamoto.
Nathan Lukes could also see a shift in playing time. One of the quieter success stories of the 2025 pennant race, he appeared in 135 games, hitting .255 with a .730 OPS, 12 home runs and 65 RBIs. Stylistically, Lukes and Sánchez are similar, both left-handed corner outfielders, except Sánchez carries more raw power, which could move Lukes into a matchup-based role and high-leverage bench option, especially given his .333 average with runners in scoring position last season.
The Sánchez acquisition also quietly increased the pressure on Okamoto. The NPB star brings legitimate power upside, including multiple 30-home-run seasons in Japan and a .500-plus slugging profile, but transitions to MLB are rarely automatic. If Barger shifts back to third base to keep Toronto’s highest-upside lineup intact, Okamoto’s role could become performance-dependent. His bat still projects to contend for Rookie of the Year, but he’ll need early production to lock in everyday reps.
Suddenly, Spring Training feels far more competitive. The Blue Jays roster already feels unusual: the outfield is deep with positional flexibility, but the infield beyond Davis Schneider and Barger lacks the traditional backup options many are accustomed to, which could lead to a surprise Opening Day roster addition such as infielder Leo Jiminez if that’s the path the Blue Jays decide to go down.
Nevertheless, Spring Training will be a proving ground for both new arrivals and tenured Blue Jays, and Sánchez has undoubtedly added a new layer to that equation.
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