Toronto Blue Jays release first baseman Juan Yepez ahead of Opening Day

According to the teams official transaction log, the Toronto Blue Jays have released former Washington Nationals first baseman/outfielder Juan Yepez.

Yepez, 27, signed a minor league deal with Toronto in early February but appeared in just one spring training game as a pinch hitter, drawing a walk in his lone plate appearance.

Yepez, 27, has appeared in parts of three big league seasons with the Cardinals and Nationals - most recently with Washington in 2024.

He's a .258/.307/.423 hitter (103 wRC+) in 588 plate appearances as a major leaguer.

The righty-swinging Yepez has fairly neutral platoon splits in his MLB time and carries a 6.5% walk rate against a 20.9% strikeout rate.

Yepez missed the majors entirely last season, spent nearly two months on the minor league injured list, and struggled in Triple-A, hitting .220/.292/.358 across 75 minor league games.

While his speed and defense are limited-ranking in the 31st percentile in speed and posting below-average marks at first base and in the outfield-Yepez has a history of being a productive hitter in Triple-A and an average contributor in the majors.

Now a free agent, he is expected to seek a minor league deal elsewhere, likely serving as organizational depth until a big league opportunity arises.

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