Teoscar Hernandez isn’t ruling out a return to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Ahead of Toronto’s series against the Seattle Mariners, Hernandez joined Blair & Barker on Sportsnet’s Fan 590 and was asked if he ever thinks about reuniting with his old cub.
“For me, I’m not going to say no because I’m not like that,” the 30-year-old slugger said. “I thank the Blue Jays a lot and if I have the opportunity to come back, I will. But I think that is not in my hands.”
With his Mariners struggling to gain ground in the AL wild-card race, Hernandez, a pending free agent, has been floated as a potential piece that could be on the move at the trade deadline if Seattle isn’t able to improve upon its 48-48 record.
The Blue Jays, of course, are in the market for a right-handed hitter that can do damage against lefties.
While his overall numbers are down in 2023, Hernandez has put together a .286/.299/.571 slash line against left-handed pitchers with six home runs in 84 at-bats.
In total, he has hit .243/.296/.428 with 16 home runs and 52 RBI in 96 games this season.
As the Blue Jays and Mariners square off for the second time this season, Hernandez also discussed his friendship with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on the show.
“Our relationship is more than a player’s. I consider him my brother,” he said. “The relationship we built while I was in Toronto was impressive and even when we’re in the off-season, we keep in touch, we get together. He goes to my town, I go to his town.”
A fan favourite in Toronto after spending parts of six seasons with the team, Hernandez was dealt to the Mariners last November for reliever Erik Swanson and pitching prospect Adam Macko.
Hernandez ranks seventh on the franchise’s all-time leaderboard in slugging percentage (.503), 11th in home runs (129) and 13th in OPS (.823).