Toronto Blue Jays Nathan Lukes has come a long from almost ending it all
Photo credit: Toronto Blue Jays On Si / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
The Toronto Blue Jays have been gaining momentum recently, and a big part of that is thanks to the emergence of this promising young outfielder.
After a shaky start to the 2025 season, the Blue Jays are finally hitting their stride. They just completed a three-game sweep of one of the MLB's top teams, the San Diego Padres.
This Toronto Blue Jays outfielder is turning heads across the MLB.
Jacob Moss from the Toronto Blue Jays On Si writes that the victory that finally pushed the Blue Jays above .500 came on Thursday night, thanks to an 11th inning walk-off single by outfielder Nathan Lukes, a player who's rapidly turning heads across the MLB.
"Lukes has become a force off the bench for Toronto in 2025, but according to The Athletic's Mitch Bannon, the upstart slugger almost hung the cleats up on his professional big-league career long before he ever made it to the spot he's in now." -Moss
According to Barron, Lukes nearly stepped away from baseball after the 2023 season. Despite batting over .300 for the Rays' Triple-A affiliate, he was released by Tampa Bay. With a wife and newborn daughter to support, he seriously considered calling it a career.
«I wanted to be in this game to help support the family,» Lukes said. «But at the same time, I'm away from my family. So that was a big one. (Quitting) definitely crossed my mind. Now it's nowhere near my mind.» -Lukes
Lukes ultimately chose not to retire that pivotal winter and was picked up by the Blue Jays in 2022. After years of perseverance and dedication, he's now starting to fulfill his potential at the major league level.
"As of this writing, Lukes has a .265 batting average and a .808 OPS, both of which rank in the top five on Toronto's roster. He's also racked up four home runs and 16 RBIs this season while primarily coming off the bench." -Moss
Now that they've finally found their footing, it'll be fascinating to see how far both the Blue Jays and Lukes can carry this momentum.
Source:
Toronto Blue Jays On Si
Blue Jays Outfielder Quickly Becoming One of MLB's Best Feel Good Stories
Toronto Blue Jays On Si
Blue Jays Outfielder Quickly Becoming One of MLB's Best Feel Good Stories
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MAI 24 | 943 ANSWERS Toronto Blue Jays Nathan Lukes has come a long from almost ending it all Do you think the Blue Jays can keep their strong play going? | ||
| yes | 265 | 28.1 % |
| no | 678 | 71.9 % |
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