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It didn’t take long for Wagner to leave a mark. He doubled on the first pitch he saw from Angels starter Davis Daniel. The 26-year-old infielder  added a pair of singles to become the fourth player in franchise history to register at least three hits in his debut, joining J.P. Arencibia, Pat Borders and Danny Ainge.

The Jays will use what little remains of the season to familiarize themselves with Wagner. How good his bat is and where he’ll settle in defensively remains unknown. Hopefully the next few weeks will provide answers.

For now, Wagner’s an infielder without a set position who possesses an above-average hit tool but lacks power. The left-handed hitter has never slugged more than 10 home runs in a year and scouting reports suggest he’ll struggle to exceed 12 to 15.

That’s concerning, but Monday’s debut was evidence of the upside that can be found in Wagner’s ability to rack up hits. He had a .297 average across 1,066 minor-league at-bats with a well-above average .843 on-base plus slugging percentage. The son of former big-league closer Billy Wagner also has elite patience with almost as many walks as strikeouts.

The skill set is not unlike that of Spencer Horwitz, who rose through the minors without a defined spot on the diamond. Horwitz didn’t have the arm for third base, it was initially believed he didn’t have the foot speed for second, and the lack of power wasn’t expected to work at first. Many of the same things have been written about Wagner.

Horwitz never hit more than 12 home runs in a season, but he kept advancing through the system by producing in other ways. Last year, he hit .337 with a .945 OPS at Buffalo. This season he was batting .335 with a .970 OPS before he joined the Jays in early June. Since then, despite some recent struggles, he has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal lineup.

Wagner will have a chance to make a similar impact. Second base is where most of his reps should come as he splits the position with Horwitz. There  should also be some spot starts at first, and maybe even third, as he auditions for a future utility role.

Unless Wagner excels with the bat, though, he’ll have trouble sticking around because the Jays already have an abundance of multi-positional bench players. Leo Jimenez and Ernie Clement offer more defensive versatility. Davis Schneider plays second and left. Horwitz is ahead of him offensively.

There’s also an expectation that the Jays will have to add a power-hitting third baseman and designated hitter over the winter. If Horwitz sticks at second, that would leave no more than two spots on the bench for utility infielders. At least a couple of the aforementioned  players will be sent back to Triple-A.

Wagner could put an early claim on one of the jobs with a strong finish. In Buffalo, he had 10 hits in 25 at-bats. In the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, he had a .307 average with 20 extra-base hits and an .853 OPS. There isn’t much left to prove at that level. It’s time to see whether that success will translate to the majors.

If it does, Wagner should have the advantage next spring. Schneider is batting .167 with a .509 OPS since May 29. The skill sets of Clement and Jimenez are similar enough that it wouldn’t make sense to carry both on the opening day roster. For now, third base and DH remain vacant.

After the trade, Astros general manager that Wagner had a “really good bat, but we didn’t know where he was going to play.” That’s noteworthy because Astros first basemen rank last in the majors with a .607 OPS and their starting third baseman, Alex Bregman, is set to hit free agency in a couple of months while José Altuve is locked in at second.

If the Astros couldn’t find room, it’s because there were concerns about his long-term growth. As the third piece for Kikuchi (along with righty Jake Bloss and outfielder Joey Loperfido) he’s a worthwhile gamble that increases the Jays’ depth and just maybe becomes something more.

Of course, there are no guarantees. There never are, even with prospects who arrive in the majors to much greater fanfare. But at a minimum, Wagner provides a fresh storyline and gives fans a new player to watch down the stretch of what became a lost season. 

Whether Wagner is anything more than a short-term distraction will depend on what he does offensively. There will be no shortage of opportunities on a team  deprived of reliable contributors. What he does with them will help determine what role, if any,  he has with the Jays in 2025 and beyond.