OF Bradley Zimmer Joins Blue Jays, Gosuke Katoh Optioned to Triple A

The Blue Jays' first roster move of the 2022 season.

Outfielder Bradley Zimmer, acquired via trade from the Guardians on Thursday, arrived in Toronto and was activated Sunday morning. In a corresponding move, infielder Gosuke Katoh was optioned to Triple A Buffalo.

With 263 games of MLB experience, the 29-year-old Zimmer brings speed and defense to the Blue Jays, manager Charlie Montoyo said ahead of Friday's Opening Day game. Though the former first-round pick has a lifetime .658 OPS he hits the ball harder than most and could hold some untapped potential in the bat.

"I was talking to a coach I know from Cleveland and he said [Zimmer] has the talent to be a really good ballplayer," Montoyo said. "Maybe the change of scenery will help him."

Zimmer arrived at the Rogers Centre just after Saturday's game against the Texas Rangers and minutes after Katoh made his MLB debut as a pinch-runner for Alejandro Kirk. The 27-year-old advanced to second on a fielder's choice in the eighth, but was stranded after a pair of outs to end the inning.

A versatile defender, Katoh had mainly been taking pregame ground balls alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base. With Katoh no longer on the roster, Zach Collins, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Cavan Biggio represent Montoyo's backup first basemen options. Collins has only three MLB games at first in his career but logged over 177 innings at the position across all league levels.