While the Toronto Blue Jays look to end the final two months of 2024 on a positive note, many may already be looking ahead to the 2025 season. Some core players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Daulton Varsho, José Berríos and Alejandro Kirk have all but secured a spot on the roster for next year as part of the Jays’ restructuring, but for a few others, their performance this season could ultimately impact whether or not they are included in the club’s long-term plans.
Here we take a look at two Blue Jays players who made the most of their audition for a spot on the team’s roster in 2025, and one Blue Jays player who struggled to make that statement.
Spencer Horwitz
For Spencer Horwitz, 2024 is finally the time to become a mainstay at the major league level. After years of crushing minor league pitchers, Horwitz has taken full advantage of his promotion earlier this season and hit the ground running. Since joining the offensively weak Jays in early June amid the team’s struggles, he has posted a solid .278 batting average with a respectable .784 OPS, along with 24 runs scored, 10 doubles, 5 home runs, and 20 RBIs in 53 games played. In addition, Horwitz has shown strong batting discipline, with a walk rate of around 11% and a strikeout rate of just under 17%.
More surprisingly, he did pretty well with his defense at second base. Remember, he only took up the position this year to pave an alternate path to the major leagues. Horwitz had only committed one error in 276 innings in 106 total opportunities and posted a .991 fielding percentage. And when he played his usual position at first base on Guerrero’s day off, Horwitz was flawless in over 101.2 innings. Given his ability to beat MLB pitchers, along with his positional flexibility to match his solid defense, it seems like Horwitz has a good chance of being part of the Jays’ core by 2025.
