Blue Jays settle on opening day 13-man position-player roster

Season-opening bench group no threat to Jays starting nine

With a mere four days remaining until Blue Jays’ 2024 season-opener vs. the Rays at the Trop, manager John Schneider has confirmed the makeup of his four-man squad of reserves — at least to open the season. The position player total stands at 13.

That Jays foursome of reserve position players consists of catcher Brian Serven, professional-hitter Daniel Vogelbach, infielder Ernie Clement and INF/OF Davis Schneider. The Jays starting nine of position players does not feel threatened.  

The average age of the Jays’ opening bench group is 28.4-years-old, with an average MLB service time of 2.051 years. Vogelbach and Serven, as non-roster invitees, will need to be added to the 40-man roster by Thursday’s gametime. The trade of Santiago Espinal to the Reds has freed up one spot, while another player must be traded or DFA’d. One of the most likely candidates is RHP Wes Parsons.  

Who are the everyday position starters?

Confirming what became evident as the Grapefruit League schedule unfolded is that vs. most righthanded starters, including opening day, positioning around the Blue Jays diamond will feature: C-Alejandro Kirk; 1B-Vlad Guerrero Jr; 2B-Cavan Biggio; 3B-Isiah Kiner-Falefa; SS-Bo Bichette; LF-Daulton Varsho; CF-Kevin Kiermaier; RF-George Springer and DH-Justin Turner. There are still a couple of question marks about actual batting order positions.

Are there surprises surrounding the bench? Yes. Especially looking at what could have been a seemingly earned candidacy by outfielder Nathan Lukes, who in 16 spring games banged out 18 hits, with a .450 average, two steals and an OPS of 1.100. But, of course, we have always known that the most useless stats for MLB evaluators are spring training, the month of September and the Caribbean Winter Leagues.

However, among the fate-determining factors for Lukes may have been that: 1-he is a lefthanded hitter, just like Kiermaier and Varsho; 2-he only plays the outfield and this Jays roster boasts versatility with fully seven of 13 players that can play out there; 3-he has little extra-base power and 4-he still has two options available. Lukes will, no doubt, be rewarded with MLB time over the course of the 162-game marathon.

That being said, meet your Blue Jays’ opening day 2024 bench group:

Daniel Vogelbach: 31-years-old, 2^nd Rd. pick of the Cubs in 2011 out of a high school in Florida…571 MLB games; 80HR; 238RBI; .753OPS. Played with five teams in last four years, including the ’20 Jays (0-for-4).  

A late addition as a non-roster invitee, Vogelbach was expected to be a longshot to break camp with the major-league club, especially after Joey Votto was signed under much the same conditions, but with the advantages of actually being able to play first base, plus being a beloved Canadian athlete and keen observer of life.

Along with veteran infielder Eduardo Escobar, Vogelbach also had the opt-out date as per the MLB basic agreement. Escobar took it and is now a free agent, but after Votto’s late spring start, then his freak injury in the dugout after hitting a home run and combined withg the poor spring by homegrown 1B/DH Spencer Horwitz, Vogelbach will surprisingly open the season on the 26-man roster. He and Votto were signed to identical $2-million contracts, with incentives, for one year.

Vogelbach’s role on this Jays team is tenuous and undefined. He ranks as the internal fifth option at first base. Additionally, if he reaches base late in a game representing an important run, there will need to be a pinch-runner. Furhter, the designated hitter role belongs to Turner, with DH being utilized occasionally to get one of the veteran regulars off his feet while keeping his bat in the lineup, especially for Guerrero, Bichette and Springer.

Davis Schneider: 25-years-old, 28th Rd. pick of the Blue Jays in 2017 out of high school in New Jersey. A later round draft pick in a round that no longer exists, only two other position players from that draft have made it to majors starting in the 19^th round to Schneider in Rd. 28…35 MLB games; 5HR; 37RBI; 1.008 OPS.

Schneider doesn’t seem ideal for a shortened bench. He started 22 games at second base after his promotion in ’23 and only finished 12 of those contests. Can the Jays afford to use a defensive replacement when one of the bench players is a catcher and one is the one-dimensional Vogelbach?

Consider that in his six minor-league seasons, capped by a breakout year at AAA-Buffalo in ’23, the best numbers became his 35-game stint in the majors that produced his best career average and OPS. Yes, he has a solid grasp of the strike zone, but still too much swing-and-miss. Schneider is useful as a righthanded bat, affording him the ability to platoon with Biggio at second and to start games in left, vs. tough lefties, when either Varsho or Kiermaier is being given a day off. Also, it should be noted that Schneider is two months older than Vlad.

Brian Serven: 28-years-old, 5th Rd. pick of the Rockies in 2011 out of Arizona State University… 73 MLB games; 6HR; 17RBI; .562OPS.

Serven led the Jays with 12 RBIs this spring, but that’s not why he made the team. He was signed as a veteran presence for AAA-Buffalo, along with C Payton Henry, who is as close in age and experience to Serven as you can possibly get. When Danny Jansen returns to the active roster from his wrist injury, perhaps in late April, Serven will be sent back to join the Bisons.   

Ernie Clement: 28-years-old, 4th Rd. pick of Cleveland in 2017 out of U. of Virginia. Three picks earlier Jays had chosen SS Kevin Smith. Coincidentally the A’s in ’23 released Clement because they obtained Smith from the Jays. Clement 138 MLB games; 4HR; 25RBI; .578OPS.

Clement has the highest number of legit reasons to be included on the Jays’ season-opening bench, led by his ability to play all four infield positions, in addition to left field. He emerges as the primary backup shortstop to Bo, which ability opened the door for Espinal to be traded. Clement defends well. He runs well. He hit .362 in the spring with three homers and eight RBIs, backing up a breakout season at AAA-Buffalo and his steady contributions when called up in August.  

Important to note that last year, the Blue Jays utilized 46 different players over 162 games, so this bench, this starting lineup, this pitching staff, this 26-man group is simply the beginning of the journey. There’s a long, long way to go. PLAY BALL!