Blue Jays roster gains further clarity as three position players lock themselves in

It was announced Sunday afternoon that Daniel Vogelbach, Ernie Clement and Davis Schneider have made the Toronto Blue Jays' Opening Day roster.

For a roster with has many stars as the Blue Jays have on the offensive side, there were still a lot of decisions to be made when it came to the depth pieces that will make up the bench. All three of these players received an ample amount of playing time this spring, as none of their roles were guaranteed heading into 2024.

Vogelbach was the biggest question mark. The minor league deal he signed early in camp was somewhat puzzling, as the Jays already had a designated hitter. Simply playing for a job, Vogey crushed this spring. He clubbed three home-runs and accumulated an .884 OPS over 35 at-bats while exclusively playing DH. Schneider states that Vogelbach will be used in favourable matchups against right-handed pitching and will only DH in his appearances, whether that’s as a starter or off the bench.

A 40-man spot will need to be opened for him, as Brian Serven is expected to take the open spot from when Santiago Espinal was traded.

Clement breaks camp after one of the better spring training performances in the organization. The utility infielder looks to build off his breakout offensive campaign split between Triple-A and MLB, as he is set to serve a utility role for the Blue Jays to open the season. Seeing time across the infield and even appearing in left field, Clement hit .356 this spring and struck out only once across 45 at-bats. Out of options and playing for a job, Clement more than earned this opportunity and could sneakily be an impact player for the Jays this season.

Schneider is the least shocking of the three, as his performance last season alone was going to earn him some playing time in 2024. Schneider saw time at second base and left field this spring, and it would appear he’ll be prioritized against left-handed pitching in a platoon situation at least to start the year.

With these three decisions it would appear the position player group is set. It was also announced Sunday that Spencer Horwitz and Nathan Lukes were optioned to Triple-A, so the position player group appears to be set as we approach Opening Day.