Blue Jays Notebook: Davis Schneider's hectic week, changes needed at Fenway

CLEVELAND — To say the last few days of Davis Schneider's life have been hectic would be an understatement.

Call up to the majors. Check.

Debut at Fenway Park, no less. Check.

Historic first three games in the majors. Check.

The utility man was not in the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians as Blue Jays manager John Schneider opted to give the 24-year-old a breather.

So, where's Davis Schneider's head right now?

"It's definitely still a blur," the rookie said Tuesday after taking batting practice at Progressive Field. "I feel like I'm on Cloud Nine. It hasn't really sunk in yet. I feel like it will sink in after the season just because everything happened so fast — I got called up, went to the airport, and I was playing the next day. So, it hasn't really sunk in for me, personally."

Schneider's story has captivated the baseball world. A 28th-round selection in the 2017 MLB Draft, he toiled for years in the minor leagues before making some swing adjustments that altered the course of his career.

This past weekend in Boston, Schneider became the first player in MLB history to record nine hits and two home runs in his first three games.

John Schneider has said that players in the Blue Jays clubhouse, especially the veterans, have gravitated to the rookie and appreciate his backstory.

Brandon Belt, who’s in his 13th MLB season, is one such player.

"It's easy to respect anybody that put in the work and had to grind it out in the minors for a while, because it's easy to give up down there," Belt said. "And that's something that he never did. He kept working. And he's probably been told a few times that this might not be in the cards for him to make it up to the big leagues. He didn't accept no for an answer. So, it's pretty cool to see a story like that, no matter how long you've been around."

Schneider's arrival followed a rough series against the American League East-leading Baltimore Orioles in which the Blue Jays dropped three of four games. There's a popular narrative in sports that young players can immediately inject life into a team. Belt says he's seen it before and that's what is happening in the Blue Jays clubhouse now.

It's not a myth, he declares.

"It's definitely a real thing," says Belt. "It just brings an energy to the team that maybe hasn't been there for a while. I think it was a needed shot in the arm for us. To see a young guy come up and the energy he has to be up here playing big games in a playoff race. It reinvigorates everybody out there."

"After a series like we had against Baltimore, stuff just seems kind of stagnant a little bit or gets people a little bit down," continues Belt. "Especially when you're in a playoff race and lose to a division rival like that. And then to have a young guy come out and bring that energy of just being so happy to be up in the big leagues at this point in time, and on top of that, to see him go off in his first few games, that's fun for us to watch. I mean, we're fans of baseball, too. That's really cool for other guys to see, the veteran guys, especially when we had a rough series beforehand."

Davis Schneider — who sports an old-school moustache — has become something of a cult hero back in Canada and says he's looking forward to making his Rogers Centre debut when the Blue Jays return home this weekend.

"Oh, I can't wait," he says. "[Blue Jays] fans [in Cleveland] are already showing the moustaches out there. When we get to Toronto, there’s probably gonna even be more. I'm nervous. I'm excited. I can't wait."

Kevin Kiermaier went back and looked at the replay of his collision with the centre-field fence at Fenway Park this past Sunday. It was a play that caused a laceration on his right arm that required eight stitches, which ultimately landed him on the 10-day injured list.

What he saw lines up with how Kiermaier felt at the time: He did everything right.

"I played it absolutely perfect — I was under control, used my right arm to guide me," Kiermaier said. "I was very graceful. It makes me think, 'Boy, I got absolutely cut up being under control.' If you're out of control and you go into that, I don't want to know what would happen."

Kiermaier, a three-time Gold Glover, has played 58 career games at Fenway Park, most of which came during his tenure with the Tampa Bay Rays. He's only played at two ballparks — Rogers Centre and Tropicana Field — more times over his 11 years in the majors and says he's never experienced anything like this at the 111-year-old ballpark in Boston.

John Schneider has likened the fence to a “cheese grater,” while Kiermaier hopes the Red Sox do something to ensure no one else gets hurt.

"I hope they cover it up because I wouldn't want someone else to get slashed like that,” Kiermaier said. “I think that could be avoided if the Red Sox take some action toward that because it shouldn't happen. They got a young guy [centre-fielder Jarren Duran] who loves to play really hard. Protect him and whoever else is out there."

For now, Kiermaier will have to wait for his stitches to heal before being activated from the IL. The sutures run along his right elbow and are preventing him from bending it.

Otherwise, he says he's doing great.

"If it was in a different area, I probably wouldn't have to miss time," he says. "But it's just an unfortunate area. At the end of day, I'll be just fine. I'm not too worried about it." 

Added Schneider: "Hopefully he's got good healing skin to go with his good looks."

In the ninth inning of Monday night's 3-1 win over the Guardians, Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen got a workout behind the plate from reliever Jordan Hicks.

With runners in scoring position and the Blue Jays clinging to a slim lead, Jansen blocked three sweepers from Hicks that bounced in the dirt before home plate. If even one of those balls gets by the Blue Jays catcher, it could have been a different outlook for the team.

"So underappreciated," Schneider said of Jansen's work. "The tying run is on base, go-ahead run is on base. Hicks throws 102 m.p.h with a nasty sweeper. And [Jansen] basically just put on a freaking clinic on how to keep your team in position to win."

Jansen ranks 10th among major league catchers with 11 Blocks Above Average since the beginning of the 2022 campaign. Fellow Blue Jays backstop Alejandro Kirk ranks first during that span with 21.

Schneider, a former catcher himself, says his backstops are diligent in that area of their work and it’s necessary given the vast array of pitches with movement that the Blue Jays' staff throws.

"He and Kirk take a ton of pride in that," said Schneider. "They've been one of the better tandems in the league for a while. In terms of balls in the dirt, you have to have a certain mindset, a mentality to do it."

"There's not a lot of guys who can do that," he added. "Luckily, we have catchers that just embrace it."