The Toronto Blue Jays finally won a series for the first time since March. Even though they have one game left to play against the Los Angeles Angels, winning the first two has given them the three-game series. With the help of Louis Varland, Eloy Jimenez, Lenyn Sosa, and Patrick Corbin, Toronto squeezed out a 4-2 victory to go up 2-0 in the series. However, under the cover of this win, they made another move involving Patrick Winkel, in addition to an update on George Springer.
The Blue Jays’ bullpen has been a strength of the team in the early part of the 2026 MLB season, and that was on full display again last night. Spencer Miles, Mason Fluharty, and Ty Rogers collected two strikeouts while only surrendering one hit between them in three innings of work.
In addition to this new signing, there is an injury update that will force the Blue Jays’ hand. Tough decisions are on the horizon for the Canadian squad.
Toronto Blue Jays Sign Patrick Winkel
For the second time in a week, the Blue Jays have made a minor league signing. Toronto has brought in another catcher in Winkel, according to their transactions page.
Winkel is a 6-Foot-1, 200 lb, 26-year-old catcher. The minor-leaguer is a product of the Minnesota Twins system.
At this point in his career, he has yet to see an MLB game. However, he has played 288 games in the minors. In those games, he has collected 247 hits, 31 home runs, 53 doubles, and 152 RBIs.
Winkel the Fastball Crusher?
Winkel was drafted in 2021 by the Twins and subsequently signed for $500,000. His draft report has some good things to say about him, but in all honesty, it is a bit of a mixed bag.
“Winkel starts his swing with a leg lift, keeps his hands fairly quiet and has a sound left-handed swing,” reports Baseball America. “He doesn’t have explosive bat speed and didn’t face many plus fastballs in the Big East, but Winkel crushed the fastballs he did see. He has good plate coverage, with an ability to adjust his swing and barrel a fastball in any part of the zone and the power to hit 15-20 home runs.”
“Winkel has a solid sense for the strike zone, but he didn’t fare as well against offspeed stuff, with nearly all of his damage this year coming against fastballs.”
His inability to hit offspeed pitches immediately puts a target on his back as a hitter. However, his defensive talent is a significant sign of optimism.
“Winkel blocks and receives well, with his arm drawing mixed reviews but seeming to improve to flash average as he got further removed from surgery,” the report continues. “His accuracy wavers, but he threw out 33% of runners.”
The Blue Jays and the Impending Return of George Springer
It’s great for the Blue Jays to add so many players to their active roster. However, some hard decisions are on the horizon.
On Tuesday, Springer participated in running drills and hit off the machine. This displays that his return will be very soon.
At this point in time, Friday is the earliest that Springer could return to the lineup. However, his return would mean that a player needs to be optioned or traded.
Who would the Blue Jays choose to send away?
Considering that they have won two games in a row, that decision becomes tougher. However, that’s why the coaches and management get paid the big bucks. They can make those calls because they have more information at their disposal than the rest of us.
We wait to see what the next week holds for the Blue Jays.
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