Blue Jays: Can expanded rosters provide positivity?

The Toronto Blue Jays are heading into September and with rosters expanding soon, they are in deep need of a spark in the lineup and in the bullpen. Coming off of a horrific series against the Los Angeles Angels, it seems that something needs to change, whether it’s for a playoff run or to ensure the fans stay engaged.

The Blue Jays are slowly digging themselves out of a Wild Card opportunity, with the Baltimore Orioles bumper-to-bumper behind Toronto for the third spot. The Angels are fourth in the American League West, 26.5 games behind the Astros, and 14 games back of a Wild Card spot, sitting ninth.

Needless to say, the spoiler starts early, with a sweep this weekend, a mix of shut-out baseball on the losing end, defensive lapses, quiet bats, beach-ball pitching, and guys going for a jog down to second base while runs are necessary. As we simmer into September, the Blue Jays will have the chance to make some additions to the roster and trust me, a shake-up can be a good thing for the demeanour of this team right now.

Blue Jays: Who Should the team call up in September?

The Blue Jays have an exciting farm system, all with longevity regarding development and advancement. There are a few different players in this system who have what it takes to elevate through the ranks of the organization.

With the allowance of two additional players on the rosters increasing in September, the Blue Jays have a few options. Who won’t we see, that we wanted to?

Jordan Groshans is no longer with the club, as he was shipped to Miami at the trade deadline, in a deal that brought over RHP Zach Pop and RHP Anthony Bass. The guy I was most excited about seeing was second baseman, Samad Taylor. All around swagger with confidence and talent. Taylor was showing great progression and was shaping up to make his debut with the big club. Taylor was also dealt at the deadline to Kansas City for second baseman Whit Merrifield.

Position Players

We’ve already seen Gabriel Moreno make his debut with the Blue Jays and he seemed like a lock to make an appearance until the Jays brought back Bradley Zimmer, who has already been offered the spot once rosters expand in a couple of days.

Otto Lopez, the Jays’ 18th-ranked top prospect, was another good option, covering the middle infield. He was also on the radar until the Zimmer news, as Lopez offers the ability to get on base and get over with speed on the paths.  He could be a great option off the bench in key pinch run situations.

Things could change down the stretch and both of these prospects could find themselves in the mix sometime in September but for now, it will be Zimmer.

Pitching

On the pitching side, right-handed pitcher Adrian Hernandez could get an early call as well. The righty had four farm-hand stints this year, throwing 34.1 innings with a 2.88 ERA, striking out 49 hitters with only 14 walks. Hernandez could be a 1-2 inning option out of the pen.

Yosver Zulueta could be another arm to watch once he is off the 7-day injured list. The international prospect out of Cuba is a future excitement for the organization with good developing weapons in his pitching repertoire. They join a list that also includes Zach Pop, Julian Merryweather, and Trent Thornton, who may get the nod ahead of these prospects given their MLB experience but could also be in the mix sometime this month.

It will be interesting to observe the future of the Blue Jays competing with a playoff-chasing team; how they perform and how they assist the current roster in that wild card campaign.