3 Blue Jays who should see an expanded role in 2024 and 2 who should not

Most of the roster spots for the 2024 Blue Jays are penciled in, but that doesn't mean there aren't a few stragglers who have a less concrete role on the team. Naturally, first base and shortstop aren't even worth discussing, as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette are both key cornerstones and are not going anywhere. There's also the rotating band of players at 2nd base that raises some questions about who will play the bulk of it. With as many good relievers that the Jays have, who is the most expendable, and who deserves more opportunity?

Firstly, the Jays can only have a 26-man roster for the vast majority of the season. As a result, there's going to be players that miss the original cut, but could get their chance to shine brighter depending on an injury or trade that would directly effect the current 26-man roster. Considering the Jays have many young players with the potential to contribute in a big way for the 2024 season, there will have to be some decisions to be made about who the best fits are to improve the current roster.

There's a case to be made about several players on the Jays' 40-man roster that deserve their cup of coffee, and this does not consider potential signings or trades that could alter the outlook of the Jays current setup, but given who is already known to be playing on the team next year, these are the 5 most notable players that will have their role adjusted in 2024.

Should: Davis Schneider

Davis Schneider put the whole world on notice after an explosive start to his MLB career. In 35 games, he hit .276/.404/.603 for a 175 OPS+. The 25-year-old hit 12 doubles, 8 home runs, drove in 20 runs, while walking 15% of the time. Simply put, Schneider was a spark plug for the Jays from the moment he was called up, and his presence made a huge difference. Schneider did go through a cold streak in mid September, which dipped his numbers from otherworldly to merely elite. There could be room for minor concern, as he does strike out at a high rate, but the second base competition is somewhat loose for the Jays.

Schneider currently presents the highest upside of the crew to deserve more consistent reps as the Jays starting 2nd baseman. He's also capable of playing third base, if needed to make adjustments on any given day. With seemingly no clear alternative options, Schneider makes the most sense for the Jays, so they can really see what they have in him, and if it could work out to be a viable option for the long term. The Jays have seen Schneider at his highest, and they've seen him at his lowest. It's evident that he should be given a further opportunity in 2024 to try and recapture some of that early magic he's already shown.

Should Not: Santiago Espinal

After a few seasons where he had a specific role where he could flourish, Santiago Espinal was somewhat of the odd man out last season. The Jays had 4 second basemen on the roster in Whit Merrifield, Davis Schneider, Cavan Biggio, and Santiago Espinal. Even with Merrifield's departure, there simply isn't much reason to have Espinal on the roster, especially in an enhanced role. Espinal struggled heavily in 2023, slashing .248/.310/.335 for an 80 OPS+. In addition to his offensive shortcomings, he also graded out as a poor defender with -4 OAA, making his spot on the roster less practical.

There's also the factor of upcoming infield prospects who will likely get a shot at the major league level next year in both Orelvis Martinez and Addison Barger. It seems like the clearest course of action is to let their best infield options take on the most playing time, and this doesn't seem to include Espinal. It still remains possible that Espinal is moved before the beginning of the season, both clearing up space for the Jays, and also giving an opportunity for Espinal to recuperate some of his value in a new setting. If Espinal does make it to Opening Day, he would be placed into a bench role, and used primarily for hitting LHP, where he still has a .747 OPS in his career against them.

Should Not: Mitch White

The Jays have given White a shot and when it didn't work out they were willing to cut their losses. That stance should not change, as there is even less of a place now for him than there was before. The Jays have other long relief options who can start if need be, such as Bowden Francis and newly signed Yariel Rodriguez. Their additions make White less viable in any scenario, aside from being Triple-A depth. The front office was willing to end the Mitch White saga before, and considering the way the pitching staff is currently shaping out, it's likely best if it happens again. Some trades work out and others don't, so the sooner everyone can move on from this chapter, the better.

At the 2022 trade deadline, the Jays acquired Mitch White from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Nick Frasso and Moises Brito. A year and a half later, and the trade has not blossomed into much for Toronto. White has tossed 55.2 big league innings for the Blue Jays has gone 0-6 with an ERA of 7.60. White had been tried out in many different roles as starter, long relief, low leverage innings, and none of them ended up working out in his time in Toronto thus far. White was even cut by the Jays to clear roster space for the Jordan Hicks acquisition, but he managed to clear waivers and was optioned to Triple-A. He has since been re-added to the 40-man.

Should: Chad Green

Chad Green's option was picked up earlier in the off-season by the Blue Jays, and it isn't difficult to see why. The right-hander spent most of last season recovering from his Tommy John surgery, but made his Blue Jays debut on September 1st. On the surface, Green may not have seemed too sharp in his return, posting a 5.25 ERA for the Jays, but there's a lot of under the hood signs that point to Green being just fine going forward. Green's velocity was reaching 95-96 mph, which was his career norm before the injury. In addition, Green's BABIP was heavily inflated to .355 which is .70 points higher than his career mark. He underperformed his peripherals across the board, giving his small sample in 2023 not much more to look at other than the fact that he proved to be healthy going forward.

The Jays knew Green would need to recover for most of the season when signing him in the first place, so it became evident that their plan was to let him rehab for 2023, and come the following season, Green should be fully ready to go. The South Carolina native will not only be active for the 2024 season, but will be counted upon to be a big factor for the Jays bullpen. It currently has Jordan Romano, Erik Swanson, and Tim Mayza as the 3 headed monster, but having a full season of Chad Green will be a big reason of why the Jays are looking to have one of the best bullpens in baseball, in back to back years.