Spencer Horwitz will make his season debut Saturday playing second base and hitting in the two-hole as the Toronto Blue Jays look to even their series against the Oakland Athletics.
The start will mark Horwitz's first career MLB appearance at second base after only playing first base during his cup of coffee in the big leagues last season.
The 26-year-old has played 87.0 innings at the keystone spot with the triple-A Buffalo Bisons this season, posting a .970 fielding percentage over 33 defensive chances.
With Horwitz slotting in at second, Davis Schneider is back in left field. But with Kevin Kiermaier in centre, Daulton Varsho is getting the start in right for the first time as a Blue Jay, with George Springer getting the game off.
Varsho actually played the majority of his defensive innings in right field with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2022 and was a finalist for the NL Gold Glove at the position.
With Oakland right-hander Luis Medina on the mound, Toronto has all of its lefties in the lineup, including Daniel Vogelbach, who is getting the start at designated hitter. Medina has made just one MLB start this season, allowing zero earned runs over 5.2 innings against the Atlanta Braves on June 2.
The Blue Jays will have four right-handed bats available off the bench in Springer, Alejandro Kirk, Justin Turner and Ernie Clement.
You can watch as Kevin Gausman gets the ball for Toronto, looking to get the Blue Jays back on track, on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+. First pitch is scheduled for 4:07 p.m. ET / 1:07 p.m. PT.
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