Start one, demote one, trade one in Blue Jays crowded outfield

The Toronto Blue Jays currently have an abnormal amount of outfielders on their roster. With Anthony Santander and Daulton Varsho on the Injured List, the Blue Jays have needed the support from a handful of other players.

While it has benefited them to a degree, it could be time to experiment with shuffling things up to address other areas of need. In this exercise we will look at one player the team should demote back to the minors, one they should make an every day starter and one they could trade.

They currently have George Springer, Nathan Lukes, Jonatan Clase, Alan Roden, and Myles Straw as outfield options and in recent games, the Blue Jays have also thrown Addison Barger into the mix when not utilizing him at third base. Davis Schneider is another player who has seen time both in the infield and the outfield in his two stints with the club this season.

Blue Jays abundance of outfielders on roster calls for changes

Start one - Addison Barger

When it comes to Lukes and Straw, they will likely platoon in center field while Varsho nurses the hamstring injury he suffered at the end of May. Clase will also continue to get opportunities to start in center as well.

But when it comes to assigning players to start consistently, Barger should be the Blue Jays every day option in right-field. He made three outfield assists in his first appearance in right field against the Mariners thanks to his cannon of an arm. Aside from his defense he has found his power stroke and has homered in five of his last seven games (going into Saturday's game against the Twins).

He also ranks in the 85th percentile in Above Average, and has a hard-hit rate of 54.1 % which ranks in the 94th percentile. His sweet-spot rate of 38.8 % is also noteworthy, showing his recent dominance at the plate. All this points to the fact that he deserves to be in the lineup every day.

Demote one - Jonatan Clase

Clase would be the most obvious player to demote considering his age, and he's a player that needs to still develop his skills. This isn't to say he hasn't been a nice addition to the team, as in the short time he's spent in the majors this season he's shown his potential. His numbers with runners in scoring position and his speed have certainly benefited the club.

His glove work is what needs to improve on his defense side, although his speed makes up for his reads to get to the ball. Clase is starting to project more as a very capable defender in right or left field. For Clase, it comes down to a numbers game. The Blue Jays already have guys on the roster with this skill set who are performing at a better level than Clase. Plus, he's got several options remaining and makes him the easiest to move down. It would also likely benefit him to get every day reps with Buffalo rather than playing every third day in Toronto.

Trade one - Myles Straw

Straw is a prime trade chip candidate to consider. He was initially underrated when the Blue Jays traded for him in the offseason, but he's gained recognition and praise as a maligned offseason addition.

Given how the Blue Jays' offense remains inconsistent at times, if they want to acquire key players to boost their roster, trading away Stray who has been reliable with his bat might seem like a disappointment to fans now. However, it would be a move that logistically makes sense. There are several teams who will be looking to add a player like Straw to their roster at the deadline, and the Blue Jays may still be looking to shore up their pitching, either in the rotation or in their bullpen.

Straw might not bring in an ace-like starter, but dangling him out there while his trade value is as high as it might ever get would be beneficial.