Blue Jays sign veteran infielder Christian Colon

The Blue Jays have signed veteran infielder Christian Colon, per an announcement from the Kansas City Monarchs of the independent American Association — the team for which Colon had been slated to begin his 2021 season. Presumably, it’s a minor-league pact for Colon, giving the Jays some additional infield depth with the expected start of the Triple-A season looming in early May.

“We as an organization are extremely happy that Christian Colon is getting this opportunity with the Toronto Blue Jays,” said Monarchs manager Joe Calfapietra in a statement announcing the news. “We are very excited for the possibilities of Christian playing again in Kansas City but even more excited that he is getting this chance. We all wish him the very best.”

Now 31 years old (32 in May), Colon was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2010 draft and a member of the Royals’ 2014-15 World Series rosters. Colon had only one at-bat during that victorious 2015 World Series, but to call it a big one would be an understatement; he delivered a pinch-hit, go-ahead single during the 12th inning of the decisive Game 5.

Overall, Colon’s time with the Royals didn’t align with the expectations that naturally come with such a lofty draft status. He spent parts of four years in the majors with Kansas City, batting .269/.323/.329 in 348 plate appearances while playing multiple infield positions. He’s since bounced to the Marlins, Braves, Mets and Reds organizations, though of that quartet, he only appeared in the big leagues with Miami and Cincinnati. Most recently, he appeared in 19 games for the Reds from 2019-20, going 6-for-29 with a double, a stolen base, a walk and three strikeouts.

Colon is a career .249/.312/.310 hitter in 418 MLB plate appearances and a .292/.361/.408 batter in parts of eight seasons at the Triple-A level (2415 plate appearances). He’s spent the bulk of his career in the middle infield, with more than 3,000 pro innings at both shortstop and second base. Colon also has more than 1,600 innings of work at third base under his belt in addition to a handful of appearances at first base and in left field.