The Blue Jays are one week away from the start of the regular season and there are still some pressing questions that must be answered before their roster can be finalized before opening day.
Max Scherzer’s availability remains uncertain as he continues to work through a right thumb injury. Daulton Varsho’s status is a mystery, too, in the midst of his recovery from rotator cuff surgery.
There’s also at least one other job up for grabs in the outfield and a couple spots in the bullpen. The Jays will play their final spring game Sunday against Pittsburgh and should have more clarity about their 26-man roster by the start of next week.
Here’s the Star’s roster projection for the Jays, who open the season at home March 27 against Baltimore, and what has changed in the last five weeks:
Catchers (2)
Alejandro Kirk, Tyler Heineman
What’s changed? Not a thing. Kirk is set to enter his first full season as the Jays’ undisputed No. 1Â catcher and he’s having a strong spring with a .306 average and a pair of extra-base hits in 36 at-bats. Kirk is going to get all the work he can handle but there should still 40-50 games to fill even if he stays healthy. Heineman, known as a defensive specialist, entered camp as the favourite to become the backup and that remains the case. Christian Bethancourt has just three hits this spring.
Infielders (6)
1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 2B Andrés Giménez, SS Bo Bichette, 3B Ernie Clement, UTL Will Wagner, 3B/OF Addison Barger
What’s changed? The initial roster projections remain untouched around the infield. Guerrero, Giménez and Bichette will be everyday players while Clement could split time at third with Barger. Wagner proved there was value in his bat last season by hitting .305 in his first 24 games, but he’s currently without a position. Expect the 26-year-old to start some games at designated hitter while occasionally playing first, second and maybe third.
Outfielders (5)
LF Anthony Santander, CF Joey Loperfido, RF George Springer, OF Nathan Lukes, OF Myles Straw
What’s changed? There’s still a lot of uncertainty in the outfield. Varsho’s availability for opening day remains in question and, while he’s close to returning, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him begin the year on the injured list, which could open the door for Lukes to make the team. The other outfield spot is between Straw, Davis Schneider, Jonatan Clase and Alan Roden, who has been a standout this spring with a .391 average and four extra-base hits in 23 at-bats.
The pick here for the final spot in the bench is Straw because he has a 1.097 on-base plus slugging percentage this spring and the front office will be motivated to use him after they were saddled with his contract during the failed pursuit of Roki Sasaki. It’s worth noting the Jays would need to clear a spot on the 40-man roster before adding him to the team.
Starting rotation (5)
RHP José BerrÃos, RHP Kevin Gausman, RHP Chris Bassitt, RHP Bowden Francis, RHP Yariel Rodriguez
What changed? Scherzer is battling the same thumb issue that plagued him each of the last two seasons. He began the spring fine, but has begun experiencing soreness around the 50-pitch mark. He is scheduled to throw this weekend but he’s running out of time to be ready for the start of the year.
If Scherzer is unable to go, Rodriguez should step into the rotation while Ryan Yarbrough, Jake Bloss and Eric Lauer act as the first line of defence. The performance of Bowden Francis will be worth monitoring because he has struggled this spring, allowing 12 earned runs across 10 innings. That’s concerning because, despite last year’s breakout, he doesn’t have a long track record of success.
Bullpen (8)
RHP Jeff Hoffman, RHP Yimi Garcia, RHP Chad Green, LHP Brendon Little, RHP Nick Sandlin, LHP Ryan Yarbrough, RHP Zach Pop, RHP Tommy Nance
What’s changed? Erik Swanson went down with a right elbow injury and will not be ready by opening day, while Yarbrough assumed the long relief role after he signed a minor-league deal early in camp. That leaves two jobs up for grabs and while there is a long list of candidates in the mix, the pair that stands out is Pop and Nance.
Both players are out of options on their contracts and cannot be sent to the minors without clearing waivers. That could give them an edge over Dillon Tate and Josh Walker, who can be sent to Buffalo without the same concerns. Another out-of-options reliever to watch is left-hander Richard Lovelady.
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