Former Harborfields slugger Sean Keys to get Blue Jays' call-up, reports say

Sean Keys’ meteoric rise has continued with a call-up to the big leagues, which perhaps came sooner than expected.

Keys, 23, a Centerport native and Harborfields High School alum, has been promoted to the Blue Jays and is expected to be activated Saturday, according to multiple reports.

Keys, a corner infielder, has shown off impressive power in a massive season with Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Buffalo, posting a .284/.409/.619 slash line with 21 homers and 54 RBIs in 67 games. He spent fewer than three weeks in Buffalo after being assigned there on June 5.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters on Wednesday that Keys is “probably farther along than we would have thought or I would have thought” and is “definitely on the radar,” according to Sportsnet.

Keys has split time between third base (31 starts) and first base (36) this season, though 13 of his 17 starts in Triple-A have come at first. Both positions in Toronto are occupied by potential All-Star starters, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base and Kazuma Okamoto at third.

Keys, the 2024 Patriot League Player of the Year at Bucknell University, is Toronto’s No. 14 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Keys had a .679 OPS in 19 big-league spring training games this year, though the highlights included a 108-mph double off reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and a 105-mph double off former Atlanta All-Star Spencer Strider.

Local fans likely won’t have to wait too long to see Keys, either. The Blue Jays host the Mets in a three-game set starting Monday.

By Ben Dickson

benjamin.dickson@newsday.com@bendickson__

Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.