Injury Bug Complicates the Blue Jays' Roster Decisions Ahead of Opening Day.

Key players like Chris Bassitt and Yusei Kikuchi are showing that they are going to be staples in the starting rotation, but uncertainties still surround their ace Kevin Gausman's, as he continues to deal with the fatigue of his shoulder. Mitch White could be a strong candidate to be a temporary replacement if Gausman is unable to start. Though, Mitch white has had a less than stellar time on the mound in spring training, accumulating a 5.84 ERA in 12 innings pitched. This can not be a confidence builder when trying to replace the moist consistent arm in the starting 5.

Injury concerns persist, notably with multiple time gold glover winner center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, who recently suffered a knee injury. While the injury isn't anything for jays' fans to worry about, with the season just around the corner, it demonstrates that injuries can have a lasting effect on performance.

In the bullpen, the injury bug has spread as well, Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson create more holes on the back end and team faces challenges in finding suitable replacements. Nate Pearson and Zach Pop are among the frontrunners for these roles, though, replacements aren't always reliable, Pearson and Pop have not played up to their potential in spring training, the former having a 5.87 ERA and the ladder having a 4.67 ERA respectively.

Even after signing minor league deal to have a chance to play for his hometown team, Joey Votto's injury also leaves a bench spot empty While Daniel Vogelbach is a possibility for the left side of the plate, he doesn't compare in abilities to those of Votto. The jays need to deal with his 2 million dollar salary as well.

Brian Serven is going to start the season as the backup catcher to Alejandro Kirk, while Danny Jansen recovers from a pisiform fracture.

If the Blue jays are going to have a strong start to the season, with injuries looming over key players, the replacements are going to have to step up to the plate (pun intended) and perform better than they have in spring.