No. 4 prospect Gabriel Moreno to join Toronto

It’s the beginning of a new era behind the plate for the Toronto Blue Jays. Gabriel Moreno, the club’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 4 prospect in Major League Baseball, will join the club ahead of Friday’s series opener in Detroit, sources told MLB.com on Wednesday night.

The club is still evaluating whether it will add Moreno to the roster for Game 1, but the 22-year-old will be activated during the series in Detroit.

Moreno received the news following Wednesday’s doubleheader with Triple-A Buffalo.

Moreno represents the Blue Jays’ catcher of the future with All-Star potential, a remarkable story of player development after he was signed out of Venezuela for $25,000 in 2016.

After bursting onto the scene in full-season ball with Single-A Lansing in 2019, Moreno’s true breakout took place in 2021 with Double-A New Hampshire. Prior to a hand injury cutting that season short, Moreno hit .373 with eight home runs and a 1.092 OPS.

In 36 games this year at Triple-A, Moreno was hitting .324 with a .784 OPS, while showing marked improvement against the running game by throwing out 54% of runners attempting to steal.

Has a team ever been this loaded at the catcher position?