Could the outfield end up being a strength for the Blue Jays this season?

The next men up

Steward Berrora, Jonatan Clase, Joey Loperfiedo, Nathan Lukes and Davis Schneider 

Every team’s worst case scenario played out for the Blue Jays on Tuesday when Joey Loperfido banged his head into the center field wall while trying to track down a fly ball.

While no one wants to get hurt playing in an exhibition, Loperfido is one of the numerous Blue Jays trying to play his way into the outfield picture, so it makes sense as to why he went all out to try to make the catch. Luckily for Loperfido and the Blue Jays, the collision ended up looking a lot worse than it actually was, as the young outfielder didn’t show any concussion symptoms and should be back in the lineup soon.

Of this group, Loperfido and Schneider likely have the inside track for the two roster spots available. Schneider struggled last year but had a historic start to his career in 2023, while Loperfido was part of the Blue Jays’ return from Yusei Kikuchi. 

Berrora’s had the best start of this group as he's 4-for-9 with a double this spring after he underwhelmed in a small MLB sample size last year (.189 average in 28 games). Loperfiedo and Schneider both have one hit, with Schneider's hit coming in the form of a 101.7 mph double. Lukes has yet to record a hit but had an outfield assist on Thursday.

All these players are on the 40-man roster, so it would be relatively easy to shift between them at the MLB level.