Looking at Blue Jays' final roster calls with camp winding down

DUNEDIN, Fla. – The last days and final decisions of spring training are here for the Toronto Blue Jays, who are nearly whole again now that their World Baseball Classic participants are either back in camp or on their way.

Word Wednesday that José Berríos won’t be ready for Opening Day after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right elbow both threw a wrinkle in the rotation plans, but also helped clear the deck, too.

Manager John Schneider said the 31-year-old’s visit to specialist Dr. Keith Meister last week produced a “relatively good report” since he “is still symptom-free.” The plan is for Berríos to take a few days off from throwing out of caution, “hopefully, that's not too long,” and “as long as he's feeling good, get back on the mound fairly soon,” the manager added.

That won’t happen soon enough for La Makina, or “The Machine,” as Berríos is known as for his remarkable durability, to break with the team. In turn, that then leaves the initial rotation looking at opening-day starter Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Max Scherzer and one of Eric Lauer, who pitched in a minor-league game Wednesday, or Trey Yesavage, who has been built up in especially cautious fashion this spring.

In deciding how the rotation rolls out behind Gausman and Cease, the Blue Jays are “still sorting a couple of things out and seeing how a few guys, their next outings go,” said Schneider. “Have a fairly good idea, but we'll probably know more later towards the end of the week.”

That’s not the only thing they have left to sort. Here’s a look at where things stand with four games left after a 3-2 Grapefruit League loss Wednesday to the Baltimore Orioles.

The Rotation

Projected: Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Max Scherzer, Eric Lauer/Trey Yesavage

Schneider Says: “Where (Yesavage) ends up to start, I don't want to say we're not really worried about, we have a definitive plan for him and we're working together with him to see where that may start or when that may start, really. We're checking in with him every day, we're going to check in with him again (Thursday), see how he's feeling and go from there. I don't think that it's set in stone, really, as of now even though we're leaving on Monday.”

Outlook: Nowhere does surplus disappear faster than on a big-league pitching staff and the Blue Jays are already using their depth here. As Schneider noted, “at the beginning of camp when you say everyone is going to get stretched out, you never know when there are some bumps in the road or some off-ramps to take or something like that.”

Shane Bieber, as camp opened, was one of those off-ramps, with Berríos – who finished last season on the injured list with elbow inflammation and this spring was denied World Baseball Classic insurance for the same reason – becoming another.

The roll-out for their final four games of the spring hints at their rotation out of the gate, with Ponce starting Thursday against the visiting Yankees, Scherzer on Friday at the Minnesota Twins in Fort Myers, followed by Gausman on Saturday in Bradenton at the Pirates and Cease on Sunday versus the Rays.

Lauer would have the flexibility to slot in anywhere after Cease on the following turn and Schneider described him as “firmly in the mix to be in the rotation.”

Neither Bieber, who has yet to throw off a mound, nor Berríos have a clear timeline before they factor into the staff but “in talking to José, there's no pain, so that's a good thing,” said Schneider. “Whether that's kind of been there or whether that isn't affecting him when he throws, that's a good thing. But we're definitely going to monitor it going forward.”

The Bullpen

Projected: Jeff Hoffman, Tyler Rogers, Louis Varland, Brendon Little, Tommy Nance, Mason Fluharty, Braydon Fisher, Eric Lauer/Trey Yesavage

Possibilities: Connor Seabold, Chase Lee, Spencer Miles, Angel Bastardo

Schneider Says: “It's fairly set. There's definitely a spot or two, to be honest with you, and just trying to figure out how to best fill that with whether it's a left-handed or right-handed guy. We're looking for probably someone who could do multiple innings. There are a few guys both on roster and off that can do that and have made some strong impressions at camp. So, it's kind of a good problem to have, I think, and the guys have got to understand where they are. We're looking to get as many looks as we can, try to force some situations on some guys, as well, and they're all responding pretty well.”

Outlook: Yimi Garcia progressed to throwing off a mound on the weekend but he’s still a few weeks away from being ready, opening one spot in the bullpen. Barring an injury, opening a second spot would mean demoting one of Fisher or Fluharty, both of whom are deserving of the Majors. Nance, meanwhile, is out of options and the Blue Jays are unlikely to risk losing him.

Seabold fits the multiple-innings mould, while side-armer Lee offers up a different arm angle for the bullpen, something the club values. Miles, who allowed two runs in an inning of work versus the Orioles, and Bastardo, who retired all four batters he faced, are both Rule 5 picks who must be carried all season long or be offered back to their clubs.

The other spots are relatively stable and Varland, who pitched in 15 of the Blue Jays’ 18 post-season games last season, ripped through four Orioles batters, striking out Ryan Mountcastle, Colton Cowser and Blaze Alexander without allowing a hit or a walk.

The appearance was only his fourth of the spring, the first of more than an inning, a stepping stone in his progression.

“It basically just has to click once in spring, having last year underneath my belt, I can trust that more,” said Varland. “So, I'm pretty much leaning on that. I know I can get batters out, especially after today. I felt really good, one-plus, right where I need to be.”

Position Players

Projected: Catchers Alejandro Kirk, Tyler Heineman; Infielders Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ernie Clement, Andrés Giménez, Kazuma Okamoto, Davis Schneider; Outfielders George Springer, Daulton Varsho, Addison Barger, Jesús Sánchez, Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw

Possibilities: Eloy Jiménez, Leo Jiménez, Josh Kasevich

Schneider Says: “Probably one spot (is to be decided). When you look at how we're rolling out, it kind of comes down to handedness, who can play where, how that person fits within the group, really. Performance matters in spring training and you don't want to be fooled or you don’t want to undersell it, but I think really focusing on how everyone fits and how we like to use the entire roster. It's kind of a tough decision coming down to the end, for sure, with roster implications and guys with options, out of options, all that stuff. Looking for the best fit is the best way to put it.”

Outlook: The Blue Jays look poised to run back their position-player group with the notable additions of Okamoto and Sánchez, but the projected list above lacks a true backup infielder, an issue they could resolve by carrying Leo Jiménez, who is out of options, or Kasevich, who’s impressed this spring.

The question, then, is who to take off?

There’s no clear answer and the Blue Jays could simply option Kasevich to triple-A, try to sneak Leo Jiménez through waivers and recall one of them as needed, while using Barger and Davis Schneider to occasionally spell regulars in the infield.

Eloy Jiménez, on the other hand, doesn’t fit any defensive needs, but has two homers and three doubles among his 11 hits in 40 at-bats this spring, showing flashes of the ability that made him one of baseball’s top young players at the start of the decade. He’s on a minor-league deal and has a July 1 out, so the Blue Jays may have some runway with him until a more clear pathway opens up for him.