Blue Jays backups

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The start of the 2023 spring for Major League Baseball has seen many big injuries so far, whether it be in Spring Training or in the World Baseball Classic.

Star-level players like Edwin Díaz, Jose Altuve, and Rhys Hoskins have all gone down with significant injuries which will definitely affect the outcome of their teams’ seasons. So, with all the injuries going on this spring let’s take a look at whether the Blue Jays have the depth pieces needed in case of injury.

Do the Blue Jays have sufficient injury replacements for position players?

When looking at the position players for the Blue Jays their depth is in good shape. Players like Whit Merrifield, Cavan Biggio, and Santiago Espinal are crucial. Merrifield can fit in to any outfield position, as can Biggio. The Jays are currently short of a fourth outfielder, but Merrifield and Biggio should be able to fill the void. Biggio can also play first base on occasion on days Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is going to DH or needs the day off. Hopefully he does not have to fill in at first base on a regular basis, because that would mean there was an injury to Guerrero or Brandon Belt who are both important pieces to the Jays lineup.

Espinal is also an important depth piece with his ability to play second base, third base, and shortstop. He has had a terrific spring with a .302 batting average and six runs batted in. All three of these players are good options at the plate and are great options when out in the field.

At the catcher position the Jays have arguably the best duo in baseball. Alejandro Kirk and Danny Jansen are a dynamic catching duo and if either one of them goes down the other one is ready to take on the burden of playing every day in order to help the team. The Jays also have a third option at catcher in Daulton Varsho, but he is primarily going to play left field.

The position players for the Jays have really good depth in case of injury. An injury for a Jays position player means they are losing a big piece, but players like Merrifield, Biggio, and Espinal will be ready whenever they are called upon. Addison Barger, Otto Lopez, Nathan Lukes and Spencer Horwitz are 40-man options that will begin the season in the minors.

Do the Blue Jays have injury replacements on-hand for relief pitchers?

The relief pitchers for the Jays are in a decent spot to start the season. The bullpen has many options so an injury to lower leverage relievers should not be an issue. The only problem the Blue Jays have right now is that they would struggle in the unfortunate event of an injury to All-Star closer Jordan Romano or setup man Erik Swanson. Swanson has yet to pitch for an AL East club, so it remains to be seen how he will fare on his new club.

The Jays bullpen doesn't necessarily have any one pitcher who is as reliable on the mound as Romano, which makes him an irreplaceable piece. The person that would be a front runner in that case would most likely be Yimi García. García can throw the heat and had a great summer last year. In July and August, he posted an ERA of 1.1 in 21.2 innings pitched.

Other players like Tim Mayza and Anthony Bass are solid bullpen pieces that can pitch in high leverage situations when needed. Later in the season the Jays will also get former Yankees pitcher Chad Green back from injury. Green will be a crucial piece to the bullpen come October, especially if the Jays run into the injury bug.

Zach Pop is an extremely interesting piece to the Jays bullpen and has the potential to develop into a Romano-type talent. He gets tremendous movement on his pitches,and he shows great promise for a young pitcher. He’s given up only one run in four innings this spring.

The Blue Jays also have some good pieces in the minor leagues that could get called up in the event of injury. Nate Pearson should be one of the prime candidates in this scenario. Pearson has had an up and down spring but has shown moments of great promise specifically with his fastball and his ability to reach 101mph. When he was bad, he was really bad and that is something that the Blue Jays cannot afford.

Players such as Junior and Julian Fernández, like Pearson, are both flame-throwers. Both pitchers have a great chance to be called up to the big-league roster at some point this season. Additional depth includes Trent Thornton and non-40-man roster options like Casey Lawrence, Jimmy Robbins or Hayden Juenger.

Do the Blue Jays have in-house injury replacements for starting pitchers?

This is the area where the Blue Jays struggle the most with depth. Any injury to one of the five starters and the Jays will find themselves in a very tough spot. Both options to replace an injured starter are relatively unappealing: Mitch White (who is injured himself) and Zach Thompson.

White showed almost no positive signs for the team last season and is going to begin the season on the injured list with elbow inflammation. Last year, he had an ERA of 5.46 with a record of 1-7. If a pitcher like Alek Manoah were to go down, it would be a huge drop off to be replaced by a player like White.

Thompson has also been looked at as a piece in case of injury for the starting rotation. He has struggled this spring, giving up eight runs in only 11.1 innings pitched. The starting rotation is crucial to a team looking to win a World Series, so the Jays would need to find a solution if a starter were to go down.

The most likely answer would be for Ross Atkins to make a trade for an established starter. The starting five in the current rotation are very solid and should put the Jays as a top 10 rotation in baseball, but injuries can (and likely will) happen and that could ruin the Jays season. This should have been addressed in the offseason, but since it wasn’t, the Jays will most likely have to trade a depth piece in order to acquire a capable sixth starter.

Additional minor league depth includes Yosver Zulueta and Thomas Hatch, alongside non-40-man options like Drew Hutchison or Bowden Francis.

Overall, the Blue Jays have solid depth, and an injury should not ruin their season, unless the injury occurs to the starting rotation. The front office should be looking to add even more depth pieces to the team closer to the trade deadline when the Jays are making a push for the World Series.

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Do the Blue Jays have strong enough backup plans in the event of injuries?

Do the Blue Jays have sufficient injury replacements for position players?

Do the Blue Jays have injury replacements on-hand for relief pitchers?

Do the Blue Jays have in-house injury replacements for starting pitchers?

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