Blue Jays: Big decisions coming to make the 40 man roster work

What becomes of Dalton Pompey?

One of the players who is really fighting for a roster spot this spring is Dalton Pompey, who has also looked pretty solid. The variable working against Pompey is that he’s out of minor league options, so the Blue Jays can’t send him back to Triple-A without exposing him to the waiver wire, where he would more than likely end up claimed.

The Blue Jays clearly still see potential in the Canadian outfielder, but it’s not going to be easy to retain him unless there is another injury to someone on the projected roster. Right now the Blue Jays are looking at an outfield picture that should include Kevin Pillar, Randal Grichuk, and Teoscar Hernandez, and it would appear that Billy McKinney has a pretty good shot at making the team as well. It’s likely McKinney that Pompey is most directly battling, as the former also has minor league options as well.

What it might really come down to for the Blue Jays is whether or not they retain Luciano and carry an eighth reliever. In that case they would have 13 pitchers to carry, leaving just 12 more spots for the position players guys. Their bench will need a back-up catcher, an infielder, and an outfielder, and that fourth, extra spot could be where Pompey would theoretically fit into the picture if the Blue Jays find room.

Of course, a lot can happen in the little less than two weeks before the season’s first pitch, just as we saw when Devon Travis went down with an injury that will likely sideline him until May. For now the Blue Jays will continue to evaluate the speedy outfielder, and this writer is hoping that his fate ends up in Toronto this season somehow, even if the cards seemed to be a little stacked against the chances.