It’s safe to say that nobody had a grander entrance to the big league stage than Davis Schneider back in 2023. The Blue Jays‘ second baseman/outfielder became the first player in MLB history to record nine hits and two home runs in his first three games in the Major Leagues, putting forward a strong showing in Boston at Fenway Park. His gear from that weekend is now at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, given the record and contribution to the Blue Jays franchise.
Since that initial debut, Schneider has seen both the highs and lows of the game. He spent the entire 2024 season with Toronto but struggled to a .191/.282/.343 slash line with 19 doubles, 13 home runs, and a .625 OPS while striking out 144 times. To start the 2025 season, the right-handed bat got off to a rough start again, which ended with him being optioned to triple-A on April 17th. The reset in the minor leagues was needed, as the New Jersey product found his swing again in Buffalo, and the Jays brought him back North of the border on June 1st.
Over the past month, Schneider has appeared in 14 games and accumulated 35 at-bats, collecting nine hits and authoring a .257/.395/.400 slash line in the sample size. More importantly, Schneider has recently found his power swing, which he put on display against a tough Yankees pitching staff.
John Schneider said he liked the matchup with Davis Schneider and Will Warren today, so he gave Schneider a shot over Lukes and others.
I guess this is why. #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/uhW3C7uDHa
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) July 2, 2025
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This started back on June 30th, with Schneider going 2 for 3 on the day against Carlos Rodon and the Yankees’ relief staff. He started the sixth inning rally that got Rodon removed from the game, attacking an outside fastball for a double down the left field line and later scoring when the Yankees infield booted the ball around.
On the Canada Day game, he went 1 for 3 in the batter’s box – a single in the bottom of the fourth inning off of Max Fried to keep the inning alive – and later scored when Andres Gimenez belted a three-run shot over the outfield wall. The 3 for 6 stretch was impressive against the AL East rival, but last night’s contest was the icing on the cake. Schneider went 2 for 4 at the plate, and both of his hits came in the form of a home run. He launched a solo shot over the centre field wall, attacking a first pitch sweeper from Will Warren that left the bat at 103.1 MPH. While this helped the Jays tack on to the early lead, the Yankees came storming back to come within one run in the top of the sixth, and it was a tight game heading into the bottom of the seventh.
With left-hander Tim Hill on the mound, Schneider attacked a first-pitch low sinker on the outside part of the plate and sent the offering 403 feet to right-centre field for a solo shot and the first multi-home run game of his career. That run gave the Jays some additional insurance heading into the top of the eighth, which was needed after Aaron Judge tied the game with a mammoth swing of his own. The Blue Jays would rally in the bottom half of the frame to take the lead and the eventual win, but Schneider’s set of solo shots not only helped him in the stats sheet but also helped the Jays take the series win over the Yankees, with a sweep in play tonight.
While he has played sporadically since his return to the Major Leagues, this past set of games has been trending in the right direction for Schneider. He owns a .389/.500/.833 slash line through his past seven games and 18 at-bats, and in his last 15 contests and 39 at-bats, he’s put forward a .282/.391/.564 line with all three of his home runs this season coming within this stretch.
Davis Schneider goes the opposite way for his second homer of the game! pic.twitter.com/X4ZXVkkCrp
— MLB (@MLB) July 3, 2025
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Whether or not this recent play is sustainable for the foreseeable future, it’s good to see the former 28th-round pick starting to put meaningful at-bats together with recent injuries to Daulton Varsho, Anthony Santander, and the ailment to Bo Bichette creating some playing time. Andres Gimenez might be missing some time with the ankle injury he suffered last night (whether short or long term), and that could create another avenue for Schneider to snag some more at-bats at second base if Ernie Clement is needed elsewhere. Helping matters is that Jonatan Clase and Alan Roden are back in triple-A, making Schneider a go-to option in left field alongside the current crop of outfielders on the active roster.
His positional versatility helps Schneider’s roster cause, but ultimately, his bat will be the biggest factor in his playing time moving forward. Belting two home runs and providing some clutch hits against the Yankees definitely helps the cause, and now it’s on Schneider to continue the current streak and find some consistency to back up the power.
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