Loperfido grateful for Blue Jays stint after trade sends him back to Houston

Loperfido, Jake Bloss, and Will Wagner were traded for Kikuchi on July 29, 2024. Loperfido struggled in his first half-season in Toronto, batting .197 with two home runs, nine runs batted in and 52 strikeouts over 43 games.

The 26-year-old split last season between the Blue Jays and their triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, N.Y., batting .333 with four home runs and 14 RBIs in 41 games with the big-league club.

Loperfido said it felt different when he was traded from the Astros to Toronto because he wasn’t crying yet.

“I feel like I’ve grown up a lot in the year and a half that I’ve been here,” he said. “Coming here, not putting what I thought was my best foot forward in that second half of ’24, making some adjustments, having some tough conversations, and then seeing those adjustments play out down the stretch last year with this group.”

Sanchez, 28, hit .237 with 14 home runs and 48 RBIs in 134 games last season between Miami and Houston. The left-handed hitter has hit 73 home runs in 580 games over six major-league seasons.

“The offence is a good complement as well, but he’s a good two sides of the ball player,” said Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins of Sanchez. “He runs the bases well, can steal bases, but the power is real.

“He hits the ball as hard as anybody, and that’s a good fit for us.”

Loperfido had a hard time cracking Toronto’s lineup because its roster has so many outfielders.

Although Sanchez will be equally hard pressed to elbow his way in, Atkins said it helps that he has a similar skill set to Anthony Santander, who had labrum surgery on his left shoulder Wednesday. He’s expected to be sidelined for five-to-six months.

“(Sanchez) slots in as one of our better options against right-handed pitching on a very regular basis,” said Atkins. “Don’t want to limit him in any ways, because he’s a very good defender.

“Can steal a base and really unique athlete, above average runner, as I mentioned, the defence is strong and the power is as good as anybody in baseball.”

The switch-hitting Santander had 44 homers and 102 RBIs with Baltimore in 2024. He signed a US$92.5-million, five-year contract in free agency to join the Blue Jays last off-season, but struggled badly at the plate and played in just 54 games during an injury-plagued Toronto debut.

Schneider said he’ll miss Loperfido’s presence in the Blue Jays clubhouse, calling him a “model citizen” but also noted Sanchez gives him more strategic options in games.

“I think it can work a variety of ways, really,” said Schneider. “I think we want to continue to use everybody and their skills in different ways.

“There’s probably some opportunity to get a lot of left-handed bats in against right-handed pitchers.”

For his part, Loperfido was happy to return to an Astros roster where there’s less competition for time in the outfield.

“I loved coming up in that organization, I took a lot of pride in being a homegrown player for them when I debuted,” said Loperfido. “Excited to go back and have a chance to play even more than I did when I was there.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2026.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Loperfido grateful for Blue Jays stint after trade sends him back to Houston

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