logo
Blue Jays 2026 40-man Roster Review: Jonatan Clase’s ceiling depends on his ability to hit for power in MLB
alt
Photo credit: © David Richard-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Feb 21, 2026, 12:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 19, 2026, 20:17 EST
Comments
One question for the Toronto Blue Jays heading into 2026 is whether or not Jonatan Clase can take that next step.
This is Blue Jays Nation’s annual 40-man roster review ahead of the new season. If you missed the most recent article, we looked at Chase Lee. In this article, we’ll take a gander at Jonatan Clase.
During the 2017-18 international free agency period, the Seattle Mariners signed Clase to a bonus of $35,000. He had some good seasons in the minor leagues, including a 2022 in Single-A where he hit 13 home runs, slashed .267/.373/.463 with 55 steals in 65 attempts. That stat line, along with his 2023 season where he hit 20 home runs and stole 62 bases in 73 attempts, is pretty telling of just how high Clase’s ceiling is.
Beginning the 2024 season with the Mariners’ Triple-A team, Clase slashed .274/.373/.482 with 10 home runs in 280 plate appearances for a 116 wRC+. He earned a look with their big league team, but slashed just .195/.233/.220 in 43 plate appearances. A few days before the 2024 trade deadline, the Mariners traded Clase and Jacob Sharp to the Blue Jays in exchange for Yimi García, which is pretty funny considering García re-signed with the Jays the following off-season.
Anyway, Clase hasn’t been able to show what makes him such an interesting prospect since joining the Blue Jays. He played 35 games with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons to end the 2024 season, where he slashed .244/.288/.363 with two home runs in 146 plate appearances. The outfielder earned a look with the Blue Jays at the end of the season, where he hit his first career home run in the seven games he played.
But once again, Clase struggled to stand out with the Bisons in 2025. Over 87 games, the speedy outfielder slashed just 255/.335/.403 in 352 plate appearances, hitting just seven home runs while striking out 25.6% of the time. Additionally, Clase got a look with the big league team, hitting two home runs in 112 plate appearances, albeit one of those home runs was a game-tying blast in the ninth off Ryan Helsley.
While Clase has had a power outage since joining the Blue Jays, his speed was on full display last season, stealing 30 of 34 bases in the minor leagues, and an additional three in four attempts in the big leagues. Because of his speed, Clase is a solid defender, but his ceiling is predicated on whether or not he can hit for power at the big league level. If so, there’s a possible every day starter there.
Steamer isn’t high on the switch-hitter though, as they have him slashing .224/.293/.354 with a home run if he gets a look. ZiPS’ full-season projection has him slashing .223/.294/.367 with 12 home runs in 514 plate appearances, less than ideal.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

Featured

Editorials

Breaking News