Blue Jays Release One of Their Shortstops After Tough Start To Season

Who did the Toronto Blue Jays release?

A Toronto Blue Jays hat and glove | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

After locking Vladimir Guerrero Jr. into a long-term extension, the next thing on the docket for the Toronto Blue Jays if they want to go in this direction would be to do the same with Bo Bichette.

The 2016 second-round pick has become a fan favorite as a two-time All-Star for this franchise, and after turning into one of the best shortstops in Major League Baseball, keeping him on the team with Guerrero seems like it would be a logical plan.

However, the Blue Jays also might not want to spend that type of money for two players.

If that's the case, they have to hope some of their current top prospects can turn into the type of star infielder that Bichette is right now.

Arjun Nimmala is the No. 1-ranked minor leaguer in Toronto's pipeline, but he's only 19 years old and has an MLB ETA of 2028 after being a first-round pick in the 2023 draft. Josh Kasevich is a bit closer since he's at Triple-A Buffalo, but he's also currently on the 60-day injured list which complicates things.

Outside of those two, only one other prospect in their top 30 is listed as a shortstop, 17-year-old Cristopher Polanco who was signed as an international free agent this past January.

That's why it was a bit surprising to see the Blue Jays release shortstop Michael Turconi, as stated by his official MiLB player page.

Turconi was a 15th-round pick in 2022, and he got off to a solid start in his professional career. But as he climbed up the pipeline and reached higher affiliate levels, he started to struggle.

After slashing .130/.250/.174 with just one extra-base hit and three RBI in 12 Triple-A games this season, Toronto decided to move on.

In total, he went just 22-for-120 with Triple-A Buffalo, hitting four doubles and no homers with 14 RBI, striking out 43 times compared to drawing 12 walks.