Blue Jays announce postseason player pool

With the Blue Jays inching closer to their first playoff appearance since 2016, the club released its 40-man postseason player pool on Tuesday.

The Blue Jays still have plenty of roles to sort out over their final games against the Yankees and Orioles, including their rotation depth and how the bullpen will line up, but fans now know which players they'll be working with.

Here's how they break down by position:

Pitchers (22): Chase Anderson, Anthony Bass, Ryan Borucki, AJ Cole, Rafael Dolis, Wilmer Font, Thomas Hatch, Anthony Kay, Julian Merryweather, Patrick Murphy, Thomas Pannone, Nate Pearson, Robbie Ray, Sean Reid-Foley, Tanner Roark, Jordan Romano, Hyun Jin Ryu, Matt Shoemaker, Ross Stripling, Taijuan Walker, Shun Yamaguchi and TJ Zeuch

There is no shortage of bullpen options for the Blue Jays, which has been the case all season long. Anderson has moved from starting to the bullpen with Ray now seeming to be solidified in the rotation, and with so many other young, multi-inning arms in the picture, covering those middle innings shouldn't be an issue.

A few major variables remain, though. Pearson threw live batting practice on Monday and Romano threw a bullpen session on Tuesday, and if either can return for the postseason, that would be a major addition. Both are high-strikeout arms, and while Pearson could likely provide two to three innings, Romano was one of the club's breakout stars before he went down with a right middle finger pulley strain, posting a 1.23 ERA over 15 appearances.

Toronto's rotation is currently set up to see Ryu pitch in Game 1 of a likely Wild Card Series, being followed by Walker then Shoemaker.

Catchers (4): Danny Jansen, Caleb Joseph, Alejandro Kirk and Reese McGuire

How big a role will Kirk have in the postseason? Coming off a 4-for-4 breakout night against the Yankees on Monday, including his first big league home run, that's suddenly a legitimate question, as the Blue Jays have wanted more offensive production from the position.

One possibility is Kirk at designated hitter, where his high-contact, low-strikeout approach should fit well. He'd also make a fine bat off the bench for those exact same reasons. Either way, it's expected to be Kirk and Jansen.

Infielders (9): Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, Brandon Drury, Santiago Espinal, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Joe Panik, Travis Shaw, Rowdy Tellez and Jonathan Villar

The potential return of Tellez from a right knee strain is the one unknown factor here. If he's able to, which still looks like a long shot, then the Blue Jays could have their DH or primary left-handed bench bat.

Espinal is another interesting case, too. Currently off the active roster with Panik and Villar filling those depth infield roles well, Espinal can still offer plenty of versatility and some speed on the bases. The big decision might come down to whether the Blue Jays keep an extra infielder or outfielder.

Outfielders (5): Jonathan Davis, Randal Grichuk, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Teoscar Hernández and Josh Palacios

The starting three will be Gurriel in left, Grichuk in center and Hernández in right. Davis has proven to be a good fit as the fourth outfielder and can play a strong outfield defense in all three spots, but the Blue Jays could still opt to roll with three outfielders given the versatility elsewhere on the roster, particularly with Biggio.