Toronto Blue Jays sign Calabrese to minor league deal

Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team grad David Calabrese (Maple, Ont.) has signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.

August 14, 2026

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

On Tuesday, the Toronto Blue Jays signed Canadian outfielder David Calabrese to a minor league contract and assigned him to the High-A Vancouver Canadians.

The speedy Maple, Ont., native had been released by the Los Angeles Angels’ double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas on August 4.

Calabrese made his debut with the Canadians on Wednesday. Batting seventh and playing right field, he went 0-for-2 with a walk, a run and a stolen base.

The 23-year-old Canuck has spent parts of four seasons at the double-A level in the Angels’ organization. Prior to signing with the Blue Jays, Calabrese had a .221/.295/.351 slash line in 74 games with the Trash Pandas. He had five home runs and seven stolen bases.

Selected in the third round of the 2020 MLB draft by the Angels, Calabrese has shown promising power (15 home runs in double-A in 2023) and speed (26 stolen bases in Class-A in 2022) during his six pro seasons.

As a teen, the left-handed hitting outfielder honed his skills with the Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team. At the 2019 Canadian Futures Showcase, he registered the fastest time (6.43 seconds) in the 60-yard dash.

In total, in 499 minor league games, Calabrese has batted .215 with 42 home runs and 71 stolen bases.

He has joined fellow Canucks and JNT grads Connor O’Halloran (Mississauga, Ont.) and Sam Shaw (Victoria, B.C.) on the Vancouver Canadians roster.