With the Toronto Blue Jays’ everyday centre-fielder Kevin Pillar on the 15-day disabled list – he says he’ll only need the minimum stint – recent trade acquisition Melvin Upton Jr is the lineup’s new regular.
It’s a role and position that he’s familiar with, and on the many teams around Major League Baseball with a weaker outfield than the Blue Jays’, it’s a role he’d quickly have elsewhere.
While the Upton deal benefits the Blue Jays most in 2017, when both Michael Saunders and Jose Bautista could walk in free agency, the short-term MLB-level depth he offers mirrors what the front office led by Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro has targeted.