Although it’s still early in the season, we are starting to see a large enough data sample to draw some conclusions as to who may be in line for a call-up to the next minor league affiliate. At the time of this writing, triple-A Buffalo has got off to an ugly 7-14 start to the season; double-A New Hampshire is 6-8; high-A Vancouver is 8-9; and low-A Dunedin has the best affiliate record at 9-8.

For players to move up the ladder, it goes without saying that a spot needs to open up. These spots typically occur due to injury or poor performance at the highest level, which has a cascading effect down the system. We’ve seen a number of promotions from triple-A to the big leagues in recent weeks, namely Mason Fluharty and Paxton Schultz.

On Tuesday, pitchers Anders Tolhurst and Jimmy Burdette were called up from New Hampshire to Buffalo, perhaps signaling that further moves in the lower minors will start happening soon. Let’s take a look at three Vancouver Canadians who could be first in line for a call-up to double-A.

After working as a starting pitcher in each of his first two seasons in the Blue Jays organization, Gallagher has shifted to a relief role to start the 2025 season.

His numbers were mostly solid last year, but the club may have made the move to move him through the system quicker. The early results have been excellent for the 25-year-old righthander, producing a 1.93 ERA and 0.96 WHIP across his 9 1/3 innings of work. His strikeout (8.7 K/9) and walk (2.9 BB/9) rates are in line with his numbers from a year ago, but his hits per nine have significantly reduced (5.8 vs 9.2), indicating that he’s been harder to hit when he doesn’t have to face the lineup twice. Although his stuff won’t likely produce eye-popping strikeout numbers, his five-pitch mix has a chance to continue to keep hitters off balance as he works his way through the system.

The 27-year-old Garkow represents one of the coolest stories in the Blue Jays organization.

He entered Point Loma Nazarene University as a 21-year-old, spending four seasons with the Sea Lions but failing to draw the attention of any major league teams. He then spent the 2022 season in the American Association, followed by two years in the Frontier League. His strikeout numbers continued to climb in independent ball, culminating in a dominant start to his 2024 season, where he produced a 1.72 ERA and 37 strikeouts in just 15 2/3 innings. The impressive numbers caught the attention of the Blue Jays, who signed him last July. His success continued in pro ball, pitching to the tune of a 1.88 ERA and 12.8 K/9 across 24 innings spent mostly in Dunedin over the second half.

After starting the 2025 season in Vancouver and allowing three runs in each of his first two outings, he’s been dominant ever since. Over his last three appearances, he’s pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings while striking out 12. Since he’s an older guy, the Blue Jays may be keen to move him along if he can continue his productive relief work over his next couple of outings.

It may be surprising to see a hitter batting just .200 featured in this article, but a closer look at Ward’s numbers highlights where he shines most.

The 25-year-old is among league leaders in walks (15 in just 10 games), leading to an eye-popping .467 OBP to start the year. The lack of contact and high walk totals speak to the lack of quality pitches that he’s had to hit thus far, but he was able to hit his first home run of the season on Tuesday night. Originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2017, injuries and the lost pandemic season stunted his growth as a hitter. After getting released after the 2023 season, he rebuilt his stock in the American Association, culminating in a contract with the Blue Jays last June.

Ward was a key cog in a Canadians team that made its way to the Northwest League Championship for the 2nd straight year last season, slashing .279/.393/.443 along the way. His plus speed allows him to steal bags (two so far in 2025) as well as play quality corner outfield defense. With this year being his fourth career season at the high-A level, it likely won’t be long before he’s ready for a jump up in competition.