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The plan for left field still isn’t clear. There is no shortage of candidates and there also isn’t a clearcut choice to get the bulk of the work. Jays manager John Schneider has mixed and matched his outfielders for the last month and that strategy figures to continue .

Alan Roden, Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw and Addison Barger are the four names being considered. Davis Schneider and Joey Loperfido were once options too but these days find themselves trying to figure things at Triple-A Buffalo. When Varsho is officially added to the roster, they’ll be joined by one of the other four.

Roden was given the first crack at the starting job in left as a reward for a strong spring training. Success has been much harder to come by during the regular season with the 25-year-old hitting .188 with just four extra-base hits in 69 at-bats. The Jays weren’t expecting much power from Roden, but they were hoping for more hits from a guy who hit .314 last year in Buffalo.

Lukes appears to be a favourite of the coaching staff. He has appeared in 17 of the Jays’ 28 games despite a .222 average and a couple of costly miscues. He has been platooning in centre with Straw, who is off to a hot start with an .835 on-base plus slugging percentage. The Jays could opt to move that pair to left when Varsho returns.

With Roden and Lukes struggling, a case could be made that it’s time to consider Barger. The former sixth-round pick has only started five games since being recalled from the minors on April 15, but he might have the highest upside of the group. He offers power at the plate and elite arm strength in the outfield. The Jays would benefit from both.

The issue is that Barger doesn’t have much experience in left. He has started there just nine times in the minors and six in the majors. Keeping Barger on the roster would mean the Jays are prepared to take the defensive risk or they’re open to the idea of having him swap spots with Springer.

The two other guys on this list — Davis Schneider and Loperfido — entered spring as the favourites to platoon in left. Both later struggled and now find themselves in Buffalo trying to earn their way back. So far, it hasn’t been going well with Loperfido producing a .657 OPS and Schneider at .575. A third option, Jonatan Clase, has performed much better with an .852 OPS.

Clase might eventually get a shot to start, but it won’t be this week. The 22-year-old was added to the Jays’ roster as the 27th man for Sunday’s doubleheader against the New York Yankees. He has since been returned to Buffalo, which appears to rule him out.

Roden is the current starter in left, but with Varsho returning, his days might be numbered. The Jays currently rank 28th in the majors with a .509 OPS in left field. Roden has played a big role in that low number and while his future could still be bright, a refresh at Triple-A might do some good.

The Jays’ performance in centre has been much better even without Varsho. º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøcentre fielders are batting .311 and their .870 OPS ranks fifth. That might be enough to convince the Jays to take the platoon of Lukes and Straw and shift it to the left.

From this vantage point, the smarter play would be to bench Lukes, option Roden and make Barger the everyday starter in left against right-handed pitching. There’s no guarantee it will work, but Roden had his shot and Lukes comes with limited upside because he’s already 30 years old.

If presented with the opportunity, maybe Barger gets hot and locks down a starting job. Or, perhaps he’ll struggle and a few weeks from now the Jays give Clase a chance. Either way, when the choice is between an unproven vet like Lukes and a rookie with a higher ceiling, I’m picking upside every time.

The Jays’ plan will become clear during this week’s series against the Red Sox. With lefty Garrett Crochet on the mound for Boston in Game 1, Straw figures to be in the lineup, but who plays left later in the week against right-handers Lucas Giolito and Tanner Houck will reveal the club’s overall strategy.

There is a hope that Varsho will help spark a struggling offence. Inevitably, though, his return creates more questions than it provides answers.