Blue Jays: What was the point of acquiring Dan Vogelbach?

Everything worked out fine for the Blue Jays on Sunday with another walk-off win, but I’m still left wondering why Dan Vogelbach wasn’t used in the 9th.

I typically don’t like to criticize a manager after their team wins a game, but Sunday’s victory still left me with a legitimate question.

If the Blue Jays aren’t going to use Dan Vogelbach in a made-for-pinch-hitter situation like we saw on Sunday, then why carry him on the roster at all? To be fair to Montoyo, he pulled the right levers and things worked out with Reese McGuire bunting Joe Panik to second base rather than bringing Vogelbach to the plate. I recognize that hitting away also runs the risk of a double play, especially with a slow runner like Vogelbach.

All said, what’s the point of carrying the slugger right now? Maybe the question falls more on the front office rather to Montoyo. The Blue Jays have been fortunate to see some hot hitting from both Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Rowdy Tellez lately, which has occupied the DH and the first base spot in the lineup. Since neither of those two or Vogelbach has much positional flexibility (save for Vlad Jr. at third), only two of them can play at a time, and the youngsters need to start with regularity, especially when they’re rolling. There are others that need an occasional day at DH as well, especially with a jam-packed schedule.

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Buck Martinez and Dan Shulman did a good job of breaking down the scenario on Sunday’s broadcast. They speculated that Vogelbach would have hit for McGuire if Panik hadn’t been able to reach base. When Panik was able to draw a walk, the skipper elected to stick with his catcher and asked him to bunt for the second time in the game. It all makes sense, and as I’ve already said, I can’t really criticize Montoyo too much when things worked out in the Blue Jays’ favour.

However, the situation revealed just how little use the Blue Jays have for Vogelbach as long as their other first base/DH options stay healthy. If he’s reduced to a pinch-hitting role, but not even useful in a situation like we saw on Sunday, then how often is he going to be able to contribute?

I don’t mean to pick on the former Mariner, and it’s nothing personal, it’s just that his fit is really questionable with this group. After Sunday, I can’t help but wonder how much longer he’ll be on the roster, although the Blue Jays may feel more comfortable with their depth chart by having him around.

As the trade deadline approaches, it wouldn’t shock me if the Blue Jays had to make room for another player, and it comes at the cost of Vogelbach’s roster spot. After seeing how Sunday’s game went down, it wouldn’t be hard to find a better fit.