Wagner, son of All-Star closer, debuts with 3-for-4 night

ANAHEIM -- With the Blue Jays looking firmly to the future, they added the latest son of a former big leaguer to their roster on Monday.

Will Wagner's first impression was a good one.

The Blue Jays called up Wagner, the son of former All-Star closer Billy Wagner, from Triple-A Buffalo before the opener of their three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels. Wagner made an immediate impact, going 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored to lead the Blue Jays to a 4-2 win at Angel Stadium.

In his first Major League at-bat, Wagner drilled the first pitch he saw for a 104.5 mph double into the right-center gap for his first career hit. In his second at-bat, he grounded a run-scoring single up the middle into right-center for his first career RBI. In his third, he ripped a 105.9 mph single through the right side.

Wagner became the fourth player in Blue Jays history to record at least three hits in his debut, joining J.P. Arencibia (2010), Pat Borders (1988) and Danny Ainge (1979).

Wagner also showed off on defense at second base. He converted every chance without issue and made a diving stop up the middle to rob Taylor Ward of a single in the eighth inning.

“I don't know if it could have gone any better," he said. “I was just happy we got the win. That was the biggest part. I just wanted to have good vibes in the clubhouse after the game and celebrate as a team."

Bowden Francis pitched a career-high seven innings with one hit and one run allowed, no walks and a career-high eight strikeouts to earn the win. Leo Jiménez added a two-run homer in the third inning for his first career blast.

Wagner -- rated the No. 21 Blue Jays prospect by MLB Pipeline -- is in familiar company in the Blue Jays clubhouse. Toronto's starting lineup against the Angels featured three sons of former big leaguers in Wagner, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (son of Vladimir Sr.) and Daulton Varsho (son of Gary). Bo Bichette (son of Dante) is on the injured list and Cavan Biggio (son of Craig) played five-plus seasons with the Blue Jays before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in June.

“I did think it was pretty cool where just everyone has come through and had some history with the big leagues,” Wagner said ahead of Monday night's contest. “I mean, it's a little bit different when your dad's already had big league time, and you're kind of going through the system. They kind of know what you go through on a daily basis, so it's good to talk to those guys.”

The Blue Jays acquired Wagner, right-hander Jake Bloss and outfielder Joey Loperfido from the Houston Astros in exchange for veteran left-hander Yusei Kikuchi at the Trade Deadline. An 18th-round pick out of Liberty by the Astros in 2021, Wagner hit his way up the Minors to outperform his Draft position and emerge as a viable prospect. He batted .315/.432/.444 with six home runs and 43 RBIs in 77 games this season between Triple-A Sugar Land and Buffalo.

“He's been pretty consistent all year in Triple-A, both with Houston and with us," Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. "This is a chance for us to kind of get our eyes on him and get to know him and see what kind of makes him tick. We had some roster spots to probably do that and [he's] a guy that we're excited about. Just in meeting him, you can tell he's been around the clubhouse. You can tell he's been around the game like some of the guys we have, so we’re excited to have him.”

Wagner received the news he was getting called up in Buffalo while his parents were in town to watch him play. Casey Candaele, the Bisons' manager, called Wagner into his office while Wagner was hitting and decided to have some fun before giving him the good news.

Candaele initially told Wagner he was angry his dad didn’t say hello and to text him his displeasure.

“He was like, ‘I want you to text him right now,’” Wagner said. “I'm sitting on the couch texting him, and he's like, ‘Text him I hate that he didn't come see me and that I'm gonna bench your kid for the whole week.’ And then he's like, ‘...because you're going to The Show.’

“I thought it was pretty cool. My hands were shaking when I was texting. I was like, ‘Wow, this is really special.’”

Schneider said Wagner will primarily play second base with the Blue Jays while mixing in time at third base. The plan is for Wagner to play every day, which will give him a chance to show he belongs in the Blue Jays’ future plans.

After Wagner’s electrifying debut, there is a lot of optimism he will do just that.

“Everyone when they talk about him, they say he's just a baseball player, and those guys usually find their way to do pretty well,” Schneider said of the left-handed-hitting Wagner. “Lots of contact, hits the ball hard, [makes] really, really smart in-game decisions. Joey Loperfido called him a line-drive machine. Just expecting him to make routine plays, understand what game situations call for.

“Whether it’s righties or lefties, we want to kind of see what he can do. And when you look kind of broadly, with everyone that we have here, over a 10-day, two-week span, I think he'll get plenty of runway.”