Blue Jays' pitching depth to be tested with injuries to bullpen

After a relatively injury-free start to camp, the Blue Jays' bullpen has gotten hit by the injury bug recently.

After Erik Swanson and Ryan Burr had elbow injuries pop up over the past couple weeks, Zach Pop was the latest reliever to go down with an elbow injury. He'll be shut down from throwing for 7-to-10 days. All three relievers will start the season on the injured list.

Pop's injury means that the Blue Jays' bullpen depth will be tested right out of the gate one year after Toronto had the second-worst bullpen ERA in all of baseball (4.82). While the Blue Jays have a plethora of arms to turn to in the 'pen, here are three that we think will step up early.

Blue Jays pitching depth to be tested with injuries to bullpen

Ryan Yarbrough

While it took some time for the Blue Jays to re-sign Yarbrough after letting him walk in the offseason, his return has become welcome. The 33-year-old veteran owns a career 53-40 record with a 4.21 ERA with 599 strikeouts. He had a 2.01 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings after the Blue Jays acquired him from the Dodgers last season.

Yarbrough has showcased dominance through an impressive average exit velocity (86.4 mph). While can also serve as a swingman in the bullpen, he could also work as a lefty specialist, as he held left-handed hitters to a .120 average last year.

Fellow lefty reliever Josh Walker was sent down to Triple-A on Thursday, which could open up a spot on the roster for Yarbrough.

Nick Robertson

A 26-year-old right-hander, Roberston could have a future as a high-leverage pitcher. His repertoire consists of a commanding fastball along with an effective changeup that produces whiffs. But if Robertson is going to be utilized in the 'pen, he will have to work on limiting the amount of hard contact he allows.

He worked one scoreless inning with two strikeouts this spring before being optioned to Triple-A Buffalo last week.

But even if he starts in the minors, he could still be a pitcher the Blue Jays call upon as a depth piece — especially if more injuries pop up.

Richard Lovelady

Lovelady was added to the Blue Jays 40-man roster last week in response to Alek Manoah bring placed on the 60-day IL. He now has a better chance to make the team's 26-man roster thanks to Pop's injury.

He has a career ERA of 4.98 across nearly 100 innings of work with the Royals, A's, Cubs and Rays.

He's not a huge strikeout pitcher (career strikeout rate of 21.2%) but he is great at producing ground balls (50.9%). He had 4.46 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP with the Rays and Cubs last year, and could be a good option to go to in low-to-middle-leverage situations.