ST. PETERSBURG -- Can you play or not? That’s been the question Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo has been asking his squad, as it battles through a sickness that has been making its way around the clubhouse.

“It’s been like that for a week now,” Montoyo said. “One guy gets it, spreads it to the other guy and so on. Everybody’s catching it right now.”

The illness shortened Marcus Stroman's start on Sunday, with the right-hander throwing up before and during the game, and the spread of the germs has impacted how the lineups are being managed as well. For instance, rookie Cavan Biggio was relegated to designated hitter duties after getting three straight starts at second base to start his Major League career. The young DH went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts in Monday's 8-3 loss to the Rays.

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It also made a decision at first base easier, as Justin Smoak is also battling the illness, though Montoyo insisted Monday was a planned day off for the slugger, regardless. In his absence, the start went to Rowdy Tellez, who previously spent some time with the bug. Tellez went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the Memorial Day matinee.

“People have been throwing up, but it’s only been a two-day thing up until now,” Montoyo said.

To make things even more challenging, the Blue Jays entered Monday playing for the 14th straight day, and the club traveled after Sunday’s day game only to have another day game waiting for it at Tropicana Field.

“It is what it is, no excuses,” Montoyo said. “It’s been a pretty good grind, especially with guys sick but it is what it is.”

Visiting for the first time
Even though he had been working with the Rays organization for more than 20 years, Montoyo saw a new part of Tropicana Field he had never seen before -- the visitors' clubhouse.

Speaking with the media prior to Monday’s game, Montoyo admitted he was lost.

“It’s the first time I’ve been on this side,” Montoyo said. “I don’t even know how to get to the field from here. I’ll ask -- it’s the big leagues -- somebody will tell you.”

Sitting in the other dugout is Kevin Cash, who Montoyo had worked under for the last four seasons. Cash has a bit of a reputation playing practical jokes on old pals, but Montoyo didn’t figure he would be the subject of a practical joke.

“It’s not going to be [Cash], he respects me too much, it’s the other guys I’m worried about,” Montoyo joked. “He’ll do it to Rocco [Baldelli]."

The future is bright
With the spotlight on the rookies of the organization in Sunday's 10-1 win over the Padres at Rogers Centre, the future looks bright for the Blue Jays, and the young players are bringing fun onto the field.

After Biggio hit his first Major League home run in the matchup, videos of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. excitedly storming their way onto the field to congratulate their teammate lit up social media. When Biggio saw their reaction, he could do nothing but smile.

“It made me laugh with just the enthusiasm Vlad and Gurriel, and it just goes to show that we’re pretty good friends and almost family,” Biggio said. “To see the excitement they had for me is something pretty special and hopefully we can have for a while.”

There’s also something to be said for the young players working their way up through the Minor League system together. Montoyo saw it firsthand as he worked at every level down on Tampa Bay's farm for 18 years before taking over Toronto’s managerial position.

“You’re teaching winning, and that’s what the Rays did, teaching championship baseball the whole way,” Montoyo said. “That’s what we’re trying to do here now. It doesn’t start here, it starts with the Minor Leagues.”

Biggio said that having teammates like Guerrero, Gurriel and Jonathan Davis in the same clubhouse is already making him feel more comfortable.

“You’ve had these guys you’ve played with for a while, so I think it helps in being able to hold each other accountable,” Biggio said. “I know myself the best, but the guy that knows me the next best is the guy I’ve played with the last couple years. It just makes me better as a player and just a better team overall.”

That also doesn’t mean that there’s any sort of division between the young players and the veterans. The rookies still know their place, according to Biggio.

“There’s a lot of good players in this locker room that have been in the big leagues for a while, so I’m here to listen and learn,” Biggio said. “It’s not only the game at this level, but also the lifestyle and we have a good mix of personalities to bring the team together.”