Blue Jays: Who is going to be the 25th man on the Opening Day roster?

Dalton Pompey

There was a time a few years ago that the Blue Jays viewed a Canadian kid as their future in centre field, and somehow that feels like a lot longer than 4-5 years ago.

Since then Dalton Pompey has endured a variety of injuries including significant concussion issues, and hasn’t been able to harness the potential that had so many people dreaming on his future a few years ago. He’s healthy now though, and he’s one of the few Blue Jays on the 40 man roster that doesn’t have any minor league options remaining, but isn’t viewed as a guarantee to make the team.

That fact could work in Pompey’s favour, as there isn’t the same plethora of outfield prospects in Toronto’s system as there are infielders, and the 26 year old is still a talented ballplayer. Assuming the Blue Jays don’t “need” his spot on the 40 man roster for someone else, they may view Spring Training as a chance for him to battle with McKinney or even Hernandez was playing time in the outfield, and an opportunity to earn one more shot in Toronto.

It might also depend on how Charlie Montoyo and the Blue Jays view Brandon Drury as an outfield option, or if they plan on playing Lourdes Gurriel Jr. out there at all now that Galvis is around as well. If they plan to use either player as a 5th outfielder, then it’s possible they don’t need to keep Pompey around. It would be nice to have Pompey as a defensive option and also as a baserunner, something he’s thrived at late in games in the big leagues before.

On a personal note, I’ll be rooting for Pompey to get one more chance to earn a spot on the team. His skillset should play well as long as he can stay healthy, and if the Blue Jays have kept him around this long (they kept him over recent DFA, Danny Barnes, for example), then maybe they’re not done with him yet.

Is he the 25th man on Opening Day? Maybe.