Will Wagner (baseball)

Will Wagner
Wagner with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys
San Diego Padres – No. 24
Infielder
Born: (1998-07-29) July 29, 1998
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 12, 2024[a], for the Toronto Blue Jays
MLB statistics
(through 2025 season)
Batting average.256
Home runs2
Runs batted in18
Stats at Baseball Reference 
Teams

William James Wagner (born July 29, 1998) is an American professional baseball infielder for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays. He is the son of Hall of Fame reliever Billy Wagner.

High school and college

Wagner attended the Miller School of Albemarle in Charlottesville, Virginia, where his father, former MLB pitcher and Baseball Hall of Famer Billy Wagner, was his manager.[2] He played college baseball at Liberty University for four years.

Professional career

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros selected Wagner in the 18th round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft.[3] He made his professional debut with the Fayetteville Woodpeckers and spent 2022 with the Asheville Tourists and Corpus Christi Hooks.[4] After the season, he played in the Arizona Fall League.[5] In 2023, the Astros invited him to spring training.[6]

Toronto Blue Jays

On July 29, 2024, Wagner, Joey Loperfido, and Jake Bloss were traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for pitcher Yusei Kikuchi.[7] In seven games for the Triple–A Buffalo Bisons, he batted .400/.516/.600 with one home run and two RBI. On August 12, Wagner was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[8] He debuted that day against the Los Angeles Angels, recording three hits and a run batted in for a 4–2 win.[9] On August 27, against the Boston Red Sox, Wagner hit his first major-league home run off of Brennan Bernardino.[10] On August 31, Wagner had a five-hit game against the Minnesota Twins in a 15–0 victory, being the first time a five-hit game has been recorded in club history by a rookie.[11] In 24 games during his rookie campaign, he slashed .305/.337/.451 with two home runs and 11 RBI. On September 17, Wagner was placed on the 60–day injured list with left knee inflammation, prematurely ending his season.[12]

Wagner made 40 appearances for the Blue Jays in 2025, slashing .237/.336/.298 with seven RBI and one stolen base.[13]

San Diego Padres

On July 31, 2025, the Blue Jays traded Wagner to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Brandon Valenzuela.[14]

Notes

  1. ^ Wagner made his MLB debut on August 12, 2024. On August 26, 2024, he appeared in the resumption of a suspended game that had begun on June 26, 2024.[1] As all MLB statistics are recorded on the date that a game started, Wagner has MLB statistics with a June 26 date.

References

  1. ^ Abraham, Peter (August 26, 2024). "You thought you've seen everything in baseball? Danny Jansen just played for Red Sox and Blue Jays in the same game". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  2. ^ McTaggart, Brian (July 13, 2021). "Astros draft Will Wagner son of Billy Wagner". MLB.com. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
  3. ^ Rome, Chadler (July 13, 2021). "Astros draft Billy Wagner's son". Houston Chronicle.
  4. ^ "'It's special': Hooks' Will Wagner follows father's footsteps in Astros organization".
  5. ^ "Astros Prospect Will Wagner Continues Breakout Showing in Arizona Fall League". November 9, 2022.
  6. ^ "It all comes full circle for this Astros legend and his son". MLB.com.
  7. ^ McTaggart, Brian. "Astros deal for Kikuchi, send 3 players to Jays". MLB.com.
  8. ^ McDonald, Darragh (August 12, 2024). "Blue Jays Select Will Wagner". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  9. ^ Padilla, Doug (August 13, 2024). "With growing confidence, Will Wagner delivers 3-hit game for Blue Jays in MLB debut". CBC. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  10. ^ Nicholson-Smith, Ben (August 27, 2024). "Blue Jays' Wagner a bright spot in sloppy loss to Red Sox". Sportsnet. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  11. ^ Wilner, Mike (August 31, 2024). "Blue Jays close out August with fireworks at Target Field". Toronto Star. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  12. ^ McDonald, Darragh (September 17, 2024). "Blue Jays Claim Nick Robertson". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  13. ^ "Will Wagner 2025 batting Stats Per Game". espn.com. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  14. ^ "Blue Jays trade INF Will Wagner to Padres for C Brandon Valenzuela". Sportsnet. July 31, 2025. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.