Lawrie, Gose, Bush Highlight Flurry of Roster Moves for Jays

Feb 25, 2013; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie (13) against the Boston Red Sox during a spring training split squad game at Florida Exchange Park. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY SportsIn addition to the earlier decision by the Toronto Blue Jays to give Henry Blanco the back-up catcher position, and to subsequently send Josh Thole to Triple-A Buffalo to start the season, the Blue Jays also made a few other decisions on Monday.

As expected, the team announced that third baseman Brett Lawrie would start the season on the disabled list, a by product of the strained rib cage that Lawrie suffered during the World Baseball Classic.

Lawrie has been making progress with the injury and was trying to get ready for opening day, but with just a week left before the April 2nd opener, the Blue Jays opted to play it safe. Instead, his DL stint will be back-dated and he will be eligible to return to the line-up during the second week of the season.

Manager John Gibbons indicated that the Blue Jays will likely go with a platoon of Mark DeRosa, Emilio Bonifacio, and Maicer Izturis at third base in the interim.

Also getting news today were Anthony Gose and Dave Bush, both of whom the team announced were optioned to Triple-A Buffalo to start the season.

Gose had made quite the impression in camp this spring, but with Colby Rasums firmly entrenched in center field, the assignment to Buffalo was a foregone conclusion. The 22-year-old Gose was hitting .267 with a .804 OPS and 5 stolen bases in camp. However, the most impressive growth that Gose exhibited was in his pitch selection. While he struck out 16 times in 58 plate appearances, he also walked 11 times and had a .404 On-Base Percentage.

The 33-year-old Bush was trying his hand at making a second stint with the Blue Jays count and was rumored to be in the hunt for a bullpen spot just a few days ago. However, a rough outing on Sunday, where he surrendered 6 earned runs and two home runs in two innings against the Minnesota Twins sealed his fate. He’ll provide rotation depth at Buffalo and could see some spot starts or long relief stints in Toronto if needed.