Daniel Vogelbach of the New York Mets at bat during the second inning of the game against the Seattle Mariners at Citi Field on September 01, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
The Toronto Blue Jays signed designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach to a minor league contract on February 16, Robert Murray of FanSided reported.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on February 16 that Vogelbach is invited to major league spring training with Toronto.
Heyman reported on February 17 that Vogelbach will earn $2 million if he makes the Mets opening day roster.
Vogelbach, 31, was born in Orlando, Fla., and has played eight seasons in Major League Baseball with the Seattle Mariners from 2016-20, the Toronto Blue Jays in 2020, the Milwaukee Brewers from 2020-21, the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022, and the New York Mets from 2022-23, and was an All-Star in 2019.
Vogelbach elected free agency on Nov. 17, 2023 prior to signing with Toronto.
Last season, Vogelbach played in 104 games with the Mets, hitting .233 in 319 plate appearances with 64 hits, eight doubles, 13 home runs, 48 RBI, 42 walks, 81 strikeouts, and a .742 OPS.
In 2022, Vogelbach split his time between Pittsburgh and Queens. Vogelbach began the season in the Steel City, playing in 75 games with the Pirates and hitting .228 with 54 hits, 10 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs, 34 RBI, 40 walks, 67 strikeouts, and a .769 OPS before being traded to the Mets on July 22, 2022 in exchange for right-handed pitcher Colin Holderman.
During the second half of the 2022 season with the Mets, Vogelbach hit .255 in 55 games with 38 hits, nine doubles, six home runs, 25 RBI, 33 walks, and 47 strikeouts.
During his time in Milwaukee, Vogelbach spent time on the injured list with a strained left hamstring on June 23, 2021 before he returned on July 29, 2021 for multiple rehab assignments with Triple-A Nashville. The Brewers placed Vogelbach on the 60-day injured list on Aug. 22, 2021 before he was activated on Sept. 21, 2021. Vogelbach played in 18 games with Triple-A Nashville during the 2021 season and hit .313 with 15 hits, three home runs, eight RBI, 16 walks, and 13 strikeouts.
During Vogelbach’s eight seasons in the Major Leagues, he has played in 571 games with a career average of .220 over 1,878 plate appearances with 348 hits, 58 doubles, one triple, 80 home runs, 238 RBI, 287 walks, 475 strikeouts, and a .977 OPS.
Vogelbach will be competing with Justin Turner and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. during spring training for the designated hitter role in 2024. He hasn’t played regularly in the field since 2021, when he appeared in 59 games at first base for Milwaukee. With Pittsburgh in 2022, Vogelbach appeared in five games at first base, playing a total of five innings in the field.
The Blue Jays will play the Philadelphia Phillies in their first spring training game at home on Feb. 24 at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Fla. at 1:07 p.m. EST. The Blue Jays first full-squad workout is on Feb. 20.