Toronto Blue Jays: Yangervis Solarte continues to breathe new life

Since being acquired in the offseason, Yangervis Solarte has done nothing but produce for the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Toronto Blue Jays knew they needed to move on from Ryan Goins and Darwin Barney, and they made this a priority in the offseason. Now, thanks to the contributions of Yangervis Solarte this season, both are becoming a distant memory for Blue Jays fans.

Since arriving on the scene, the 30-year-old has breathed new life into the lineup with his infectious charisma. Injuries have him playing more regularly and it might have been a blessing in disguise, because he’s been a consistent performer.

Solarte leads the team in RBI with 22 and home runs with nine, while hitting a slash line of .287/.359/.532 in 111 at-bats.

Thursday’s doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians was where Solarte’s explosiveness at the plate was on full display. In the first game, he had five hits and six RBI including a grand slam in the 11th inning, which proved to be crucial to the Blue Jays beating Cleveland 13-11.

How did he follow up that performance in the second game of the doubleheader? He went 3-for-4 with a home run that gave the Blue Jays the lead. Unfortunately, the pitching staff struggled in the fifth, allowing nine runs which sunk the Blue Jays 13-4.

One of the most impressive aspects about Solarte’s play in the doubleheader, is that he set a new Blue Jays’ record:.

Two years ago, Solarte was grieving the loss of his wife to cancer, something that would be tough for any person, let alone a professional athlete, to battle back from.

Rather than let it be his crutch it has given him a new outlook on life, something which was well documented by Sportsnet‘s Ben Nicholson-Smith.

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"“I like to talk about this because it can show people this can happen to anyone,” Solarte told Nicholson-Smith. “It was really hard. I don’t want this for anybody else in the world, even my enemies, but she got me through it. I’m happy she’s in peace, because she was suffering. It gives me chills talking about her, but she made me stronger."

It is a big reason why he has an upbeat personality when he rounds the bases on a home run and dances in the dugout. This type of personality can easily rub off nicely on a team which needed a more positive vibe.

Whether he can keep this up is yet to be determined, but he checks off many of the boxes that neither Goins or Barney could in their final season.

Next: Why Teoscar Hernandez is here to stay

With Troy Tulowitzki‘s status up in the air and Devon Travis struggling, Solarte gives the Blue Jays a chance in a tough AL East.