Montreal infielder Otto Lopez shows he belongs in Major League Baseball

Montreal Gazette

4 days ago

Two Quebecers started the season in Major League Baseball. Otto Lopez is still there, but Édouard Julien has been sent down to Triple-A, while Abraham Toro has made a remarkable comeback. Where do Quebecers stand in high-level professional baseball? Here's a brief all-star break overview (all stats compiled from MLB.com and baseball-reference.com through July 14) before the dog days of summer begin:
Otto Lopez, Miami Marlins
Lopez remains the top Quebecer in MLB. Despite a 10-day stint on the injured list, the Miami Marlins infielder has played in 80 (77 starts) of the team's 95 games.
While his batting average is slightly lower than last year (.250 vs. .270), his on-base and slugging percentages are both higher at .320 and .392, respectively.
Lopez, who was born in the Dominican Republic before moving to Montreal at age 12, has played more often at shortstop than at second base this season (47 times vs. 32). He is providing offence, with 11 home runs, 48 RBIs — already personal bests — and 41 runs scored, and is on pace to set career highs in hits and runs this season.
He is also very reliable defensively, as evidenced by his .988 fielding percentage at shortstop and .986 at second base, both above the MLB average at those positions (.978 and .985, respectively).
Abraham Toro, Boston Red Sox
Toro had an excellent spring training camp with the Boston Red Sox. It didn't go unnoticed. His excellent start to the season in Triple-A Worcester forced the Red Sox to call him up in early May, when first-baseman Tristan Casas went down for the season with a torn knee ligament. The switch-hitting infielder and hitter has given the Red Sox no choice but to keep him with the big club since then.
The Longueuil native is on track for his best season statistically and boasts a .271/.321/.418 slash line. In 52 games, including 44 as a starter at first and third base, he has racked up 48 hits, including 11 doubles and five home runs. He has driven in 20 runs and has 25 runs scored.
With Alex Bregman at third base and Casas returning next year, Toro's future in Boston is uncertain. However, he is proving that he can help a team.
Édouard Julien, Minnesota Twins
Injuries to infield regulars gave Julien the opportunity to start the 2025 season in the majors. Unfortunately, the Quebec City native was unable to seize the opportunity.
His stint with the Minnesota Twins lasted only 29 games this season, during which he failed to prove that he belonged among the 26 best players on his team. His .198/.288/.319 slash line was clearly insufficient. In 91 at-bats, he struck out as many times (29) as he reached base, with 18 hits and 11 walks.
Julien, who finished seventh in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2023, regained some confidence at the Triple-A level after a very difficult start. While his average had dropped below .200 on June 3, he just had a good six-week stretch at the plate, posting averages of .266/.410/.447.
Julien also has nine home runs, 28 RBIs and 28 runs scored. While these numbers may not be enough to bring him back to Minneapolis, they could offer him a new opportunity elsewhere in MLB.
Miguel Cienfuegos, San Diego Padres
The Laval native started the season in the San Diego Padres' farm system at the Double-A level, where he won both of his decisions and posted an excellent 1.13 ERA in six games. He was promoted to Triple-A in May.
Used primarily as a reliever, the left-hander has had some difficult moments and is 0-2 with a 5.47 ERA. A closer look at his statistics reveals that four bad outings among his 13 appearances inflated his statistics. In particular, he gave up eight runs, including six earned, to the Albuquerque Isotopes in three innings of work in his second start on July 2.
Cienfuegos, who played in independent baseball — notably with the Capitales de Québec in the Frontier League — before returning to affiliated baseball, is considered an old prospect at age 28. It remains to be seen if he can turn things around and earn a spot in San Diego.
Charles Leblanc, free agent
After playing in only 11 games with the Los Angeles Angels in 2024, Leblanc signed a minor-league contract with the Atlanta Braves.
The Laval native had a good training camp, but was assigned to Triple-A, where he hit .291 with an on-base percentage of .394 in 22 games. But he only had two extra-base hits and his slugging percentage was just .316. Add to that only eight RBIs, and the Braves released him in early June.
This story was originally published July 15, 2025 at 2:43 PM.