Washington High grad Mason McCoy called up to MLB with Toronto Blue Jays

Mason McCoy is headed to the big leagues.

The Washington high school graduate was promoted to the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday and joined the team in Toronto in time for its game against the Washington Nationals. McCoy did not see the field in his first game, a 5-4 victory by the Nationals.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider spoke about McCoy ahead of the game.

“Really, really good defender and great base runner," Schneider told Keegan Matheson, Blue Jays reporter for MLB.com. "He’s kind of another blue-collar dude who’s been working his entire career to get here. Excited to have him.”

The Blue Jays sent shortstop Bo Bichette to the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 28, with a right quad strain, leaving room for McCoy. Schneider said Toronto is going to get creative in replacing the all-star shortstop, including working in McCoy.

“It’s gonna get weird," Schneider said. "It’s gonna get dirty, ugly, crazy.”

The promotion is a long time coming for the 28-year-old McCoy, a 2013 Washington grad who went on to be a two-time NJCAA All-American at Illinois Central College and an all-Big Ten Conference pick at Iowa.

“We couldn’t be happier for Mason,” Iowa coach Rick Heller told hawkeyesports.com. “Mason is a perfect example of what you can achieve if you truly believe in yourself and just keep putting in the work. He has earned this opportunity.”

The utility player began his career in the Baltimore Orioles farm system in 2017 after being selected in the sixth round of the MLB Draft. He broke through to Triple-A in 2021 before moving on to the Seattle Mariners organization. Seattle traded him last month to Toronto in exchange for pitcher Trent Thornton.

McCoy hit .226 in 402 at-bats this season in Triple-A with the Mariners and Blue Jays organizations, adding 64 RBIs, 66 runs, 12 home runs and 23 stolen bases.

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This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Toronto Blue Jays promote Washington high graduate Mason McCoy