The Blue Jays announced that they have selected the contract of outfielder Brett Bateman. He takes the roster spot of infielder Luis Urías, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right quad strain. Outfielder Rudy Martin Jr. has been designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot.

Bateman, 24, was just acquired from the Cubs in this week’s Kevin Gausman trade. He played a couple of games for Triple-A Buffalo after that deal but the Urías injury has opened an active roster spot for him to come up and make his major league debut.

An eighth-round pick of the Cubs from 2023, Bateman has generally been a good hitter throughout his minor league career but in a low-power way. He has 359 Triple-A plate appearances this year with just three home runs. However, his 18.7% strikeout rate is a few ticks better than par while his 17.3% walk rate is almost double the major league average, which is 8.9% this year. He has a .311/.429/.416 line and 124 wRC+, though with a high .389 batting average on balls in play. His speed might allow him to run a higher BABIP than others but that’s still a tough figure to maintain.

The other parts of his game are considered strong. He has big wheels, which help him in the field and on the basepaths. He is considered a plus defender in center. He’s generally good for 20-30 steals in the minors annually, with 20 already this year.

Though he is replacing an infielder with this transaction, he might be taking the playing time opened up by the departure of Daulton Varsho. The Jays traded Varsho to the Astros ahead of the deadline, giving them an opening in center field. Myles Straw has been covering that spot for the past few days. He obviously has more experience than Bateman but is generally considered more of a glove-first fourth outfielder.

Perhaps the Jays will give Batman some run in center to see how he handles the big leagues. He is a lefty and Straw a righty, so a platoon is also a possibility, though Straw has reverse splits in his career. Bateman has a .326/.450/.446 line against righties this year, compared to a .250/.338/.300 line in left-on-left matchups.

Martin, 30, was just claimed off waivers from the Orioles a couple of weeks ago. He still hasn’t made his major league debut. He’s another speedy outfielder with a low-power offensive profile. His eight home runs in the minors this year are a career high for him. He also has 39 steals and a 16% walk rate, though with a relatively high 24.1% strikeout rate. He has a .280/.408/.415  line and 122 wRC+ this year.

Teams are clearly intrigued by this year’s offense. He began the season with the Royals on a minor league deal. Last month, he triggered an upward mobility clause in that deal and got flipped to the Orioles. The O’s tried to get him through waivers shortly thereafter, which is when the Jays claimed him. Since the trade deadline has now passed, he’ll be on waivers again in the coming days.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images