logo
Blue Jays Minor League Musings: Jay Harry notches fourth consecutive multi-hit game, Aldo Gaxiola hits another home run
alt
Photo credit: © Joseph Cress- Iowa City Press/Citizen (USA Today)
Ryley Delaney
Aug 26, 2026, 13:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 26, 2026, 12:36 EDT
Comments
While the Toronto Blue Jays may have lost on Tuesday evening, their affiliates had a strong day.
All four “A” level affiliates were in action on Tuesday, with three of the four teams picking up the victory in their series opener. More importantly, the two teams in the playoff hunt won thanks to strong performances.
Jay Harry has been on fire since coming off the injured list, slashing .387/.406/.452 with just one strikeout and two doubles. He’s on a seven game hitting streak, including four consecutive multi-hit games. This is basically what he’s done for most of the season and he’s worked himself into a potential September call up.
He was a big reason why the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons won their game against the Rochester Red Wings by a score of 6-3. Harry was one of two players to hit a double, the other being Will Simoneit, while Rudy Martin Jr. walked three times. Grant Rogers had a strong start, going six innings with four strikeouts and just two runs allowed. Joe Mantiply also pitched in this game, striking out two over two and one-third innings.
This was a crucial victory for the Bisons, as they gained a game on the International League East-leading Red Wings, moving to three and a half games behind them with three teams to jump.
The Blue Jay affiliate in the hunt for a playoff berth are the High-A Vancouver Canadians. They returned home to Nat Bailey to host Spokane, picking up a 6-1 victory. JoJo Parker was the big standout from this game, hitting his third double since joining the team, and notching two other hits.
Ryan Sprock hit his sixth double since the trade in a two-hit game, while Dariel Ramon also had a two-hit game. On the mound, Silvano Hechavarria threw six scoreless innings with a walk and five strikeouts, by far his best start at the level in 2026.
With the win, the C’s have a 31-24 record in the second-half, second-best in the Northwest League. But because the first-half winning Eugene Emeralds are ahead of them, the C’s will be attending their fourth NWL Championship Series in five seasons if the standings remain the same. They have a four-game lead over the Everett AquaSox.
The Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays are well out of the race for first in the Florida State League, but a 7-1 victory over the Palm Beach Cardinals moved their second-half record to 27-25. Their big standout from this game was Aldo Gaxiola, who hit his 15th home run of the season. It was his third consecutive game with a home run, and his fourth in the past week.
There’s some pop in the corner infielder’s bat, jumping from just two home runs in 225 plate appearances last season to 15 in 334 in 2026, but his K% has ballooned to 27.8%. One to watch, but he’s still a project.
Owen Carapellotti also hit a home run, his sixth in 64 plate appearances with the D-Jays since joining the Blue Jays’ organization via trade. Overall, he has 14 home runs this season, but also has a 31.3 K% since joining the D-Jays. Raimundo De Los Santos also hit an extra-base hit, a double, his fifth of the season.
On the mound, Josh Winckowski made the start on a rehab assignment. It’s the first time he’s pitched since mid-May 2025, but also his first outing in the Blue Jays’ system since 2019. Winckowski was traded to the New York Mets before the 2021 season for Steven Matz, then was traded to the Boston Red Sox. Jack Nedrow pitched the bulk of the inning, striking out six over five and one-third scoreless innings.
The lone Blue Jays’ affiliate to lose on Tuesday were the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, falling 8-2 to the Hartford Yard Goats. Alexis Hernandez was their best performer, going 3-4 with two RBIs. Austin Cates went five innings giving up three runs (two earned) and striking out seven.
All four teams are back in action on Wednesday. The Bisons play at 1:05 PM ET with Josh Stephan on the mound, while the Fisher Cats and D-Jays play at 6:03 PM ET and 6:30 PM ET respectively. As for the C’s, their game begins at 10:05 PM ET with Canadian Connor O’Halloran on the mound.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
News
MORE NEWS. IN YOUR INBOX.
CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Breaking News