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Looking at the Blue Jays’ internal options for a backup first baseman
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Photo credit: © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Nov 27, 2025, 12:00 ESTUpdated: Nov 27, 2025, 01:13 EST
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One area of need for the 2026 Toronto Blue Jays is a backup first baseman.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is their first baseman for the next decade and a half; he doesn’t need any competition. However, Guerrero Jr. needed to get off his feet every once in a while, meaning the Jays needed a first baseman before the trade deadline, acquiring Ty France alongside Louis Varland.
Overall, the Blue Jays had 311.1 innings at first that weren’t covered by Guerrero Jr. Now that France is a free agent, with his signing team to be determined, that need has presented itself once again. The question is, who in the organization can fill that need?
Before France, Ernie Clement was playing first base. Clement was fine defensively at first base, finishing the season with 1 Defensive Runs Saved and 0 Outs Above Average in 69 innings. Clement as the backup first baseman would only work if the Jays sign both Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette, which seems unlikely because I wrote this, the Jays signed Dylan Cease.
In the very unlikely (but great) event that they somehow sign both, Clement would be pushed to a super utility role. If they sign one or the other, Clement’s role will likely get most of his innings at second base (if Tucker is signed) or third base (if Bichette re-signs).
Anthony Santander is another option to eat some innings at first base. Last Santander played one inning at first base all the way back on May 25. It came in the bottom of the eighth, as the Jays made a litany of moves, including Michael Stefanic replacing Paxton Schultz on the mound. The Jays lost that game 13-0, so it wasn’t an ordinary game. The switch-hitter also played an inning at first with the Baltimore Orioles in 2024, as well as 72 innings in 2023. This is all of his experience in the big leagues at first base.
Another outfielder on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster who is capable of playing first is Joey Loperfido. He’s only played three big league innings at the position in his young career, but he has experience playing first in the minor leagues, including two seasons with over 150 innings at the position.
Brandon Valenzuela, a catcher, has yet to make his big league debut, but has played 529 innings at first in his minor league career. He’s better suited as the backup catcher, but he’s on the 40-man roster, so he could play first in a pinch.
Looking outside the 40-man roster, the best option to play some innings at first is Riley Tirotta, who slashed .268/.359/.417 with 12 home runs in 463 plate appearances, finishing with an 11.4 BB% and 29.6 K%. On the defensive side of things, Tirotta played 254.2 innings at first last season with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, committing three errors. 
Most of Tirotta’s season was spent at third base, playing 338 innings at the hot corner. The 27-year-old also played three innings at second base, nine and two-thirds innings at shortstop, 49 innings in left field, and 223 innings in right field. This is the type of positional versatility that the Blue Jays love, although the strikeout rate remains a concern.
Other than Tirotta, the Blue Jays don’t really have anyone who can fill that role, at least in the upper minors. Damiano Palmegiani led the Blue Jays’ system in home runs in 2024, but struggled mightily in Double-A and Triple-A last season. Hopefully, he can get back to the form he had in 2023.
Peyton Williams is another first baseman in the upper-minors who had a rough season. In 2024, he slashed .289/.362/.476 with 11 home runs in 334 plate appearances in High-A for a 137 wRC+. Upon his promotion to Double-A to begin the 2025 season, Williams slashed .217/.280/.353 with nine home runs in 329 plate appearances for an 83 wRC+. More worrisome was the fact that his K% jumped from 21.5% to 31.9%.
It’s hard to say who’ll fill innings at first if Guerrero Jr. needs rest, but Clement is probably the best bet to do so.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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