6 Blue Jays who could be playing their way out of the team’s 2024 plans

For the 2023 season, despite their lack of consistency throughout the year, the Toronto Blue Jays have somehow managed to stay within the thick of the playoff chase. Currently, they hold a 66-54 winning record and sit in the third and final Wild Card spot, with the Seattle Mariners in hot pursuit trailing only by 1.5 games. Despite being in playoff contention, some of the current players have struggled to produce for the ballclub. The Jays will definitely need them to work things out soon; otherwise, their spots on the active roster could be at risk down the stretch and potentially beyond as well.

Here, we take a look at six Blue Jays players that could be playing their way out of the team’s 2024 plans if they don’t turn things around soon.

Santiago Espinal

For Santiago Espinal, it has been a season to forget for the former All-Star. After taking hold of the starting second baseman job early last year with the Jays, Espinal went on to have a very productive first half and was selected to the All-Star game in recognition of his fine performance. However, he began to struggle in the latter half of the season and ended up losing some playing time near the end of the year as a result.

With hopes that a new season means a fresh reset for Espinal, those struggles unfortunately have carried over into the 2023 season as he has failed to provide any consistent production at the plate all year. There’s no denying that he still provided solid defence for the ballclub, but the lack of offence has no doubt affected his playing time, along with his potential value going forth with the team. For 2023, Espinal has hit .229 with a .617 OPS, with 25 runs scored, eight doubles, two home runs and 18 RBI in 65 games played.

With the rapid ascension of the recent play of top prospects Orelvis Martinez and Addison Barger at Triple-A Buffalo, Espinal will certainly need to step up his game in the final few weeks of the season if he wants to secure a roster spot for the 2024 season.