With his bags barely unpacked, Brett Bateman already feels at home with Blue Jays

Brett Bateman has spent all of six days in the big leagues but looks and sounds like he has been there forever. There is no hint of nervousness, just quiet confidence.

Obtained from the Chicago Cubs for Kevin Gausman on trade deadline day, Bateman started in right field for the Blue Jays on Wednesday, his sixth straight game with his new team. The previous night he had two hits and drove in a pair of runs in a 5-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

That earned him his first official on-field ice bath from teammates. He is 24 and this is what he has dreamed about all of his life but he is not wide-eyed over his promotion from minor-league ball.

“It’s unbelievable,” Bateman said as he addressed broadcasters and sportswriters after Tuesday’s triumph. “I feel like I have been here for years, honestly. That’s what it feels like. The fans, the team, the organization, they just have a bunch of trust in me like I’ve been here for a long time.”

He was pretty much seen as an unknown prospect when he was dealt to Toronto for one of the most beloved members of the team. Sent to the club’s AAA affiliate in Buffalo, Bateman was called up after just two games.

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In his very first at-bat, he smacked a double off Philadelphia ace Zack Wheeler. There will be some tough days to go with the good but so far the transition has been seamless.

“I mean, it’s baseball, right?” Bateman said. “Pitchers have a ball and they’ve got to throw it over the plate. As long as you’re on time for the heater, you are going to make a good decision. You just have to trust in yourself and your abilities.

“The only pressure that you’re under is the pressure you put on yourself. It’s ultimately up to you. As long as you control what you can control there is no pressure.”

Bateman grew up in St. Paul, Minn., and played at the University of Minnesota for three years. He was drafted by the Cubs in the eighth round in 2023 and worked his way up from the rookie-league level to the AAA Iowa Cubs to begin this season.

He is slightly built and a contact hitter; at Iowa this year he hit .312 with three home runs, 20 stolen bases and 33 RBIs in 82 games. He was traded along with infield prospect Ty Southisene to Toronto on Aug. 3, the same day the Blue Jays shipped centre fielder Daulton Varsho off to Houston.

“You never know when you’re going to find a dude,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “It’s a handful of games, but he has the potential with both his skills and the way he thinks, the way he can adjust, to be pretty damn good.

“I like the control he has in the batting zone, I like the contact ability and I like what’s going on between his ears. He is pretty bright and not afraid to take chances.”

Despite the initial results, Bateman is remaining level-headed.

“It’s great having success early, but this is also a game of failure,” Bateman said. “I think being a rookie and facing guys like Wheeler and Aaron Nola and Jesús Luzardo, the first three guys I faced, the odds are stacked against you.

“As long as you can go up there, put up a good at bat, and put some barrels on it, you’re going to be happy at the end of the day.”

The Blue Jays had won four of their last five games as they headed into Wednesday’s meeting with the Red Sox. The teams conclude a four-game series on Thursday before the New York Yankees visit Toronto for three games beginning Friday.

Toronto is still below .500 but remains in the periphery of the playoff chase.

“These guys are playing their butts off right now, Schneider said. ”[Reaching the playoffs] is still realistic. I still think we’re a good team. We haven’t done as well as we would have hoped, but we’ve got time to do that.”

Bateman is likely to get a long look from his new team between now and the end of the regular season. He is not overwhelmed by the challenge.

“I try to remember I play baseball,” he said. “It’s a kid’s game.”