Infield picture coming into focus after Espinal trade

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Much of the fun around the Blue Jays’ infield competition is that, for those who are in it, it hasn’t felt like a competition at all.

The past few days brought some clarity for Toronto, as the club sent Santiago Espinal to the Reds and essentially paved the way for a second-base split between Davis Schneider, Ernie Clement and Cavan Biggio, with Isiah Kiner-Falefa set for the bulk of the work at third.

But nothing is guaranteed -- not even after the Blue Jays eventually announce their Opening Day roster. As both Clement and Schneider can attest to, this is a game of moving parts.

“Baseball will humble you,” Schneider said at the Blue Jays’ player development complex on Friday. “You’ve got to make sure you’re prepared.”

That’s one reason why these guys aren’t looking at roster decisions as a contest, or even as a motivator for their individual performances. Another big reason is the genuine camaraderie that’s emerged among position players.

“There’s some really, really good human beings in this organization,” Clement said during the Blue Jays’ 5-1 win over the Red Sox at TD Ballpark on Friday. “It’s easy to root for these guys. They’re such good dudes, and they’re my friends. So, you know, it’s hard not to root for them. … It’s cool to be in a clubhouse where everybody is pulling for each other. That’s how you win baseball games and how you create a culture.”

The sentiment spreads out farther than the group of likely Major Leaguers.

During the spring, Clement and Schneider are rooming with Spencer Horwitz, the Blue Jays’ No. 16 prospect who’s vying for his own Opening Day spot as a first baseman/outfielder. Promising youngsters like Addison Barger, Damiano Palmegiani and Orelvis Martinez will also potentially be ready for the Majors at some point in 2024.

With so much talent around, it would be counterproductive to worry about anything but your own game. Besides, this is a team with World Series aspirations, a reality that tends to unite a lot more than divide.

“Obviously, I’m trying to make the team and trying to protect [my] job personally,” said Schneider. “But at the end of the day, we’re all trying to win a baseball game. So it really doesn’t matter who’s in there that day as long as they perform. That’s all that matters.”

Schneider has given himself more than one avenue to keep proving himself at the highest level after a historic callup last August. The 25-year-old made another appearance in left field on Thursday against the Pirates, reaching over his shoulder for a spectacular catch that robbed Jack Suwinski of extra bases in the fourth inning.

It was good enough to earn a shoutout from Kevin Kiermaier in the clubhouse later on.

“Having [Kiermaier] next to me when I made that play was the cool part,” said Schneider. “Because he’s been doing it for 10-plus years. Having him being hyped for me made it pretty special.”

Schneider is an offense-first type of guy, but showing that he can be serviceable in multiple spots can only help a young player vying to cement himself in the Majors.

Clement, meanwhile, has quite simply hit his way onto the team. In 42 Spring Training at-bats, the 28-year-old has batted .357 with a 1.053 OPS, three homers and eight RBIs while boasting an elite 3.3 percent whiff rate (two misses on 60 swings) this spring. Even if Clement still had Minor League options remaining, that’s not the type of line you simply send to Triple-A.

It’s been a successful campaign because he’s kept the same mindset the entire time:

“I’m ready to roll,” said Clement. “Me and a lot of the guys on the team are just ready to go and ready to get started.”

They’ll get their chance to do so soon. The Blue Jays break camp early next week, with their final Grapefruit League game slated for Monday. The Opening Day roster is far from finalized, but the picture gets a little clearer each day.

“You’re looking to stay as balanced as you can,” manager John Schneider said. “And you’re looking at how we’re going to roll out most of our everyday guys and how they fit into our equation.”