Blue Jays keeping things light as key ALDS roster decisions loom

TORONTO — The atmosphere at Rogers Centre was relaxed Wednesday afternoon while the Toronto Blue Jays worked out ahead of their ALDS matchup against either the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees.

Bo Bichette did some light throwing, Anthony Santander took a few ground balls at first base and Ernie Clement prepared at shortstop, wearing a giveaway bucket hat to keep the sun out of his eyes while he got his work in. Eventually, the arrival of fans was expected to bring life to the building with a simulated game open to the public, anthem and all.

“Hopefully we can replicate a little bit of energy,” said manager John Schneider. “We're going to try to make everything as game-like as possible.”

But even so, the Blue Jays are a long way from the pressure of Yankee Stadium this week — and that’s a good thing.

Already, Schneider and GM Ross Atkins have been mulling roster decisions and mapping out their pitching plans. Some tough decisions are ahead with injuries and tactics informing the final 26-man roster, but it won’t change much depending on the opponent.

The Yankees’ left-handed bats could nudge the Blue Jays toward taking more left-handed pitching, for instance, but more importantly, “you try to narrow it down as much as you can to guys you’re really going to use,” as Schneider put it.

Decisions must be in by 10 a.m. ET on Saturday ahead of that afternoon’s Game 1. In the meantime, here’s a closer look at some of the bigger subplots unfolding in Toronto:

Bichette in limbo

Atkins and Schneider both described Bichette as day-to-day and spoke in positive tones about the shortstop’s progress.

“Every day has gotten better for him,” Atkins said. “He’s doing everything possible to be ready as soon as possible.”

“I’ll never put anything past Bo” Schneider added. “It's a big couple days for him, obviously. If he's ready, we'll obviously welcome him back with open arms, and if he's not that's another another thing you want to play for is to keep going to get him back, hopefully in the next round.”

But if actions matter more than words, it’s worth noting that Bichette hasn’t started running yet. Schneider said the shortstop is “hopefully starting that soon,” but until he does it’s perhaps a stretch to expect him to play by the weekend.

While the Los Angeles Dodgers rostered catcher Will Smith as a pinch hitter, he can at least run with no issues even if he can’t catch. As of now, the same can’t be said for Bichette.

Jays still making rotation plans 

As expected, the Blue Jays declined to share their rotation plans just yet. That’ll change within a couple days, but for now they have “a few plans in place for a variety of different reasons,” according to Schneider.

Chris Bassitt is slated to pitch in Thursday’s simulated game, at which point the Blue Jays should have a better sense of whether he’s ready to return from the injured list. José Berríos, on the other hand, hasn’t resumed throwing and will miss this round, at least.

In years past, the Blue Jays have used piggyback starters in sometimes controversial fashion, replacing Matt Shoemaker with Robbie Ray in the 2020 playoffs and Berríos with Yusei Kikuchi in 2023. Asked whether the current lean is toward traditional starters or more of a mix-and-match approach, Atkins said it’s all under discussion. 

“We're still working through it,” the GM said. “We’re open to everything on the table, and we’ll want to work through that with our players before we make those decisions.”

Presumably at least Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber would make traditional starts, but beyond that the Blue Jays are leaving their options open.

Yesavage on the roster

Just three appearances into his MLB career, Trey Yesavage has earned a spot on the Blue Jays’ playoff roster.

“I would expect him to be a part of us preventing runs,” Atkins said.

“He’s definitely part of the puzzle” Schneider added. “I have no problem with him starting and no problem with him coming out of the bullpen.”

As effective as Yesavage has been out of the rotation, there’s also a strong case to be made for using him out of the bullpen. His delivery is unique, with an exceptionally high release point that makes it hard for opposing batters to see the ball, and the element of surprise could work in Toronto’s favour.

For example, if the Blue Jays were to use Yesavage as a traditional starter in Game 3 or 4 of the ALDS, the Yankees or Red Sox could gameplan for him much better, even stepping in against the true-to-life Trajekt pitching machines they each have at their home ballparks. 

Conversely, if the Blue Jays used Yesavage in relief, whether behind an opener or a traditional starter like Bassitt, they’d preserve the element of surprise, making life more difficult for a lineup that wouldn’t have had the same chance to prepare.

Atkins on Schneider 

Considering Schneider’s contract is about to expire, the comments Atkins made about the manager were noteworthy. When the topic came up, Atkins heaped praise on Schneider, who led the Blue Jays to a 20-win increase and a division title this year.

“His baseball acumen and his intellect I think is exceptional,” Atkins said. “His recall, his passion for baseball. Understanding the very, very small details that are exceptionally important to win over 162 is a clear foundation for him. But I actually think the strengths that allow that foundation to excel are his positivity and the human being that he is. Similar to Alejandro Kirk just with how consistent he is. I've never been around someone who’s consistently as positive as John Schneider is. It’s not an act. It’s authentic. He treats people indicative of that positivity, and I think that allows for our environment to thrive.”