Blue Jays release Je’Von Ward, two others
Photo credit: © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Jul 27, 2026, 13:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 27, 2026, 15:13 EDT
With all the recent players signing from the 2026 MLB Draft, there were bound to be some releases in the Toronto Blue Jays organization.
On Sunday, the transaction log noted that Je’Von Ward, Jackson Hornung, and Patrick Winkel were released, three upper-minor prospects.
Ward is the most surprising of the bunch. Signed by the Blue Jays during the summer of 2024, the 26-year-old outfielder was having a solid season at the Triple-A level, slashing .254/.322/.486 with 11 home runs over 199 plate appearances, good for a 107 wRC+.
While there is a lot of whiff in his game, something that appeared in parts of the last two seasons in the upper-minors, Ward’s 11 home runs rank tied for eighth in the organization, just three back of Carter Cunningham’s 14, which is second in the organization.
Ward split his 2025 between the High-A Vancouver Canadians and Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, finishing his High-A tenure with an incredible 27.9 BB% in 229 plate appearances. Ward also had a cup of tea in Manchester, New Hampshire earlier this season.
There, Ward was teammates with Hornung. This season, Hornung slashed .235/.299/.362 with four home runs in 241 plate appearances, good for just a 77 wRC+. Hornung, drafted in the 16th round of the 2023 draft by the Jays, had a strong start to his season before slashing just .190/.265/.298 since April 18th.
The 25-year-old spent parts of the last four seasons in the Blue Jays organization, and had a good season in 2025. Split between the High-A Vancouver Canadians, the first baseman/outfielder slashed .287/.367/.452 with nine home runs in 403 plate appearances.
Winkel is another Fisher Cats who was released on Sunday. The Blue Jays signed the catcher in April, and he went on to slash .241/.306/.384 with three home runs in 124 plate appearances with the Fisher Cats. Prior to joining the Blue Jays’ organization, Winkel played for the Minnesota Twins’ farm system after they selected him in the ninth round of the 2021 draft.
Hopefully all three prospects can get with a new organization in the coming weeks.
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