Jonatan Clase


Jonatan Clase is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball. He has previously played in MLB for the Seattle Mariners.

Career

Seattle Mariners

Clase signed with the Seattle Mariners as an international free agent on July 2, 2018. He made his professional debut in 2019 with the Dominican [Summer League Mariners]. Clase did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the Impact of [the COVID-19 pandemic on sports|COVID-19 pandemic].
Clase returned to action in 2021 with the rookie-level Arizona Complex League Mariners. He played in 14 games for the team, missing time due to a broken ankle, and batted.245/.333/.388 with two home runs, 10 RBI, and 16 stolen bases. Clase spent the 2022 campaign with the Single-A Modesto Nuts, slashing.267/.374/.463 with 13 home runs, 49 RBI, and 55 stolen bases. On November 15, the Mariners added him to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
The Mariners optioned Clause to the High-A Everett AquaSox to begin the 2023 season. In 129 games split between Everett and the Double-A Arkansas Travelers, he batted.242/.353/.449 with 20 home runs, 68 RBI, and 79 stolen bases. He was the first minor league player since at least 1961 to have at least 20 home runs and 70 stolen bases in a season. He also played in the All-Star Futures Game. He began working with former Mariner Franklin Gutiérrez to improve his outfield defense.
Clase was optioned to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers to begin the 2024 season. On April 15, Clase was promoted to the major leagues for the first time following an injury to Dominic Canzone. Clase had a single and RBI in his MLB debut, a win over the Cincinnati Reds. In three stints in the majors with the Mariners, he batted.195 with 1 double and three stolen bases.

Toronto Blue Jays

On July 26, 2024, Seattle traded Clase and Jacob Sharp to the Toronto Blue Jays for reliever Yimi García. In 7 games for the Blue Jays, he went 7-for-20 with 1 home run and 2 RBI. He was tied for the third-fastest base runner in the majors, according to Statcast.
Clase was optioned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons to begin the 2025 season. He returned to the majors in May, replacing Alan Roden on the roster. Facing the St. Louis Cardinals on June 9th, Clase hit his first home run of the season to tie the game in the 9th inning in a Jays win. Clase suffered a bruised right knee after Brandon Pfaadt hit him in the knee with a pitch in June.