Kevin Smith SS

Smith will be a part of the Blue Jays' 60-man roster.

Smith progressed to Double-A in 2019, where he hit .206/.261/.396 with 19 home runs and 11 stolen bases, but he also had a 32.4 percent strikeout rate. He was invited to big-league camp this spring and went 4-for-26 with six RBI and 11 strikeouts. The 23-year-old will get a chance to develop with the 60-man roster once the 2020 season gets underway.

Smith went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a stolen base for Double-A New Hampshire on Thursday.

The 22-year-old was mired in a miserable slump to begin May, going 0-for-34 over an 11-game stretch before breaking out with two hits Wednesday, including a homer, and Thursday's three-hit performance. Smith's OPS is still .543 through 33 games -- slightly more than half the mark he posted at Low-A in his breakout 2018 -- but if he keeps stringing together good days, the Jays' No. 8 fantasy prospect will start to regain some of his luster.

Smith is slashing .188/.217/.313 through 19 games for Double-A New Hampshire with two home runs, six RBI and two stolen bases.

The Jays' No. 6 fantasy prospect broke out in a big way last year, but Smith has been ice cold lately, going 1-for-21 in his last five games. There's really nothing in his overall line to like -- his 3:24 BB:K is particularly rough -- and the 22-year-old isn't even young for the level. The sample is small and plenty of players have struggled in their first crack at Double-A before bouncing back, so it's far too early to give up on the shortstop. That said, if his struggles continue into the summer, his prospect status will start to tumble.

Smith is slated to open the season at Double-A New Hampshire, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The 2017 fourth-round pick will move up a rung on the minor-league ladder after churning out a .302/.358/.528 slash line with 25 home runs and 29 steals in 523 plate appearances between Low-A Lansing and High-A Dunedin a season ago. Top prospects Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette are viewed as future cornerstones for the Blue Jays on the left side of the infield, but Smith, who has primarily played shortstop during his career, could be an everyday option at second base as soon as 2020 if he continues to perform at a high level in the upper minors.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI for High-A Dunedin in its 4-3 win over Lakeland on Wednesday.

Smith's round tripper -- his 20th of the season and 13th since being promoted to the Florida State League in early May -- came off one of the top pitching prospects in the Detroit organization in Matt Manning. A fourth-round pick in 2017, Smith has emerged as a top-five prospect in the Toronto system thanks to his combination of power and speed (26 steals in 29 attempts this season) at a middle-infield spot.