Blue Jays – 40-man roster decisions potentially loom with the Jansen injury and possible Vogelbach addition

The Toronto Blue Jays have a pretty set roster heading into the 2024 season other than a couple of spots open on the bench and in the bullpen. The loss of Jordan Hicks to free agency opened a spot for another relief arm while the Jays have a bench spot up or two up for grabs as well given the various roster moves this past offseason.

While the next week and a half will help narrow down which players will be heading to Tampa for the March 28th Opening Day contest, the Blue Jays squad was dealt a curveball that seems all too familiar.

Catcher Danny Jansen was hit by a pitch earlier this week and suffered a small fracture of the pisiform bone in his right hand, with the club expecting him to be out for at least a couple of weeks after visiting a doctor earlier today. For those who may recall, Jansen was hit on the hands multiple times last season, an unlucky streak that saw the Jays backstop break his right middle finger last season on a pitch inside in early September.

With Jansen potentially set to begin the year on the IL, if the Wisconsin product is not ready to go come Opening Day, the Blue Jays management team will need to decide how they will construct their roster for their first series in Tampa.

Roster decisions potentially loom for the Blue Jays with Jansen’s injury and Daniel Vogelbach’s audition for a roster spot

Alejandro Kirk can carry the workload for the first week of the season but should Jansen be out for an extended period, the Jays may need to make a roster move to bring up a backup catcher in Payton Henry or Brian Serven to help fill in the gap. While this works in theory, the downside is that neither Henry nor Serven are on the 40-man roster, meaning the Jays will have to make room for one of the two catchers to fill in that void, even if it is in the short term.

The Jays are in a unique position in that they have two former catchers already on the roster who could fill in if needed, with Daulton Varsho and Isiah Kiner-Falefa both having spent time behind the plate at some point in their careers. That call will likely need to be made closer to Opening Day with regards to how Jansen is progressing with his return from the injury, as the longer he is slated to recover, the more likely the Jays will need a more permanent backup catcher to keep Varsho and IKF in their respective positions on the field.

Coincidentally, the Jansen injury isn’t the only 40-man roster decision the Blue Jays might be faced with in the coming weeks.

Daniel Vogelbach, who is in Blue Jays spring training as a non-roster invitee, has seen a lot of game action this spring and could be a candidate to break camp with the squad.

The left-handed slugger would occupy a spot on the bench and be able to work as a pinch-hitter or in the DH spot when a right-hander is on the mound, a power bat the Blue Jays could have likely used last season as well. Whether he makes the team or not is still up in the air, as the veteran bat has the home run ability the team is looking for but only has four hits through 25 at-bats, but should Schneider and the Jays think he is worthy for Opening Day, a 40-man roster spot will be needed for him as well.