Ryan Cooney works an eight-pitch at-bat and lines a single off MLB rehabber Clay Holmes for his first professional hit💪
Minor League Musings: 2026 draftees make debut and Jean Joseph homers in first Canadians’ at-bat
Photo credit: © Ray Seebeck - Imagn Images
Jul 29, 2026, 10:15 EDTUpdated: Jul 29, 2026, 12:26 EDT
The 2026 draftees are coming.
On Tuesday, three Toronto Blue Jays‘ draftees made their debut, Dean West, Ryan Cooney and Landon Waters, as did a non-drafted free agent from the class, Reese Bassinger. Ultimately, the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays fell 14-6, but there were some positives from the game.
Cooney’s first plate appearance was in the bottom of the first, facing rehabbing big leaguer Clay Holmes. Down 1-2 in the count, Cooney managed to foul off two pitches, then saw two balls for a full count. On the eighth pitch of the at-bat, he hit a single to centre field for his first career hit.
West’s first plate appearance was in the bottom of the third, also against Holmes. On a 1-1 pitch, the outfielder hit a single that came off the bat at 88.4 mph. Cooney walked that inning, but West was picked off attempting to steal second.
SAVE THAT BASEBALL! Dean West (7th round, @UCLABaseball) smacks a single off MLB rehabber Clay Holmes for his first professional hit👏
With the D-Jays down 8-4 in the seventh, the team turned to Bassinger for his professional debut. He struck out Aiden Robbins on three pitches, all curveballs, all while generating two whiffs. A pop out gave the D-Jays two outs, then Bassinger struck out John Smith III on a 77.4 mph curveball, generating two whiffs in this plate appearance as well.
Reese Bassinger (@WVUBaseball) with a pair of strikeouts in a perfect 7th inning in his professional debut👏
Waters’ debut didn’t go as well, giving up three earned run, all coming across the plate thanks to a three-run shot from Elian Peña. Owen Carapellotti, acquired in the Hayden Juenger trade, also notched his first career hit in the Blue Jays organization, a double.
This was the D-Jays fourth consecutive loss, having lost both games of the doubleheader against the Bradenton Marauders on Sunday, both in walk-off fashion.
In the 2-1 loss, Carson Messina walked three in two and two-thirds innings, surrendering a run in the process. T.J. Brock struck out the side in his inning of work, and Ricky Tiedemann struck out two in a scoreless inning. Luis Fonseca also pitched in this game, his final game in the organization.
Then in their 7-5 loss, Raimundo De Los Santos, Aldo Gaxiola, and Enmanuel Bonilla each hit a home run. Denis Samudio struck out eight, giving up two earned runs in four innings of work.
PINCH HIT GO-AHEAD HOMER IN THE 9TH🤩 Enmanuel Bonilla gives Dunedin the lead on a two-out, two-run blast in the 9th!
De Los Santos was one of five D-Jays promoted to the High-A Vancouver Canadians in a glut of roster moves on Tuesday. One of the other players, Jean Joseph hit a home run in his first High-A plate appearance, his fourth of the season. Peyton Williams also hit a home run.
Mean Jean the Homer Machine says Hey Y’all 👋 with his first home run #AtTheNat
On the mound, left-handed pitcher Johnny King had a great start, allowing just two hits and two walks in five shut out innings, striking out four. His season ERA now sits at 3.08 with a 30.5 K%. In Double-A, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats lost their series opener 8-3, with Arjun Nimmala, Jorge Burgos, and Hedbert Perez each hitting a double.
Lastly, there were some standout performances in the Dominican Summer League the last couple of days.
In the DSL Blue Jays Blue’s 8-7 loss to the DSL White Sox, Michael Mesa, Juan Caricote, and Luis Felipe each hit a double. That was Mesa’s 14th and Caricote’s sixth of the season. On the mound, Roberto Castellanos struck out five in five innings of two run ball, dropping his season ERA to 2.54.
The same day, the DSL Blue Jays Red defeated the DSL Giants Orange by a score of 9-1. Luis Nuñez drove in four and hit a triple, while Darwin Nuñez and Diego Arce each hit a double. Gabriel Porras, Samuel Orellana, and Alex Linares each finished with two hits in this game as well.
Lastly, Alieski Torres had a terrific start for the DSL Blue Jays Red on Tuesday. In the 5-1 victory, the 18-year-old right-handed pitcher struck out six and allowed just one run in six innings, his first career quality start. He’s far too good for the DSL, as Torres’ ERA now sits at 1.08 for the season.
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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