Is the "revolving door" at second base sustainable for the Blue Jays?

Pros

Since each of their abilities are about the same, in that they all possess some speed, play good defense, and can provide decent production at the plate, it helps create competition among them, hence motivating each player to play to their best. There wouldn’t be a game where they won’t go all out because they could essentially be losing playing time if they falter.

In addition, with the player rotation, Jays' manager John Schneider can utilize the player he believes suits best for the game’s matchup. If he needs a lefty bat, Biggio can get the call. If he wants a righty bat with power, Merrifield it is. If he needs superior defence and a right-handed bat, Espinal can get the nod, as seen from his utilization in the Los Angeles Angels series. In the meantime, the player(s) being rested would stay fresh for the following game or a game in the future.

Cons

However, in the long term, having the constant change of players for that one position may become more detrimental to both the team and players themselves. From a psychological standpoint, having the feeling that you may be playing today, but you might not play again for another couple days, won’t set well for any player in the long run. Without the security of a starting job, the player may become frustrated and end up trying to do too much and overthink things to help enhance their chances to stay in the lineup. For instance, they may try for a game-changing home run swing, instead of just focusing on contact to get a run across, and end up striking out. Or they may try to stretch a single into a double and get thrown out. By doing so, they would be letting the team down more than helping them out.

In addition, not being able to play every day can affect any groove or momentum they may have gained to maintain consistent production. Say one of them goes 3-for-4 one day, and is feeling the right rhythm and timing at the plate, only to find themselves on the bench the next day. Then by the following day, they had lost some of that confidence built up already from their previous game. Baseball may be largely a game of skills, but what has been totally underrated is having a strong, confident mentality whenever coming up to the plate can also play a huge role on its outcome as well.

Any Solutions?

In terms of possible solutions, one way to increase their usage and playing time is employing them in the DH slot. That way, even on days where they are not playing in the field, they can stay on top of their game. Another way, which hopefully is not needed, since they are three very solid MLB ballplayers, is the Jays may be forced to trade away one of them to help resolve the clogged position issue.

Biggio has been with the Jays’ organization for over four years now, and has had his up and down moments. But he has shown to be more than capable in being an everyday MLB player. Espinal is coming off a year in which he had taken huge strides in becoming an everyday player, so much that he was selected to the All-Star game as well. Finally, Merrifield is the proven veteran with a solid productive track record over the past seven years, including being a key component on the Kansas City Royals roster for many years. As a result, it is hard to argue who should be getting more playing time if the situation persists, because no matter what, someone, or even worse, everyone involved will most likely be affected in some way.

Nevertheless, it will be something that should be monitored in the coming weeks to see what ultimately happens to the revolving door situation at second base for the Jays. Hopefully, whatever the solution ends up to be, we will see Biggio, Merrifield, and Espinal all back to their usual effective and productive selves again.