The Toronto Blue Jays enter the 2026 season looking for vengeance after coming so close to winning the World Series. A few outs away from securing a ring should provide a fire under the team, and it’s been noticeable this winter in the way that the front office has been spending in free agency.

Toronto’s roster has a ton of ‘locks’ on it, and while there could be a few surprises before Spring Training in terms of trades or potential DFAs because of incoming players, there’s not a ton of wiggle room on the active roster heading into the new year. The bench could take a different shape if players struggle this spring or some trades go through, and the bullpen could see a few new faces when the dust settles. Injuries can also arise early into the season, which means someone from the internal ranks will need to step up to fill the hole.

Here are four players that appear on the outside of the current roster picture but could find themselves on the Opening Day roster if they play well in Dunedin or injuries arise in the current group.

The one thing the Toronto Blue Jays likely don’t need is another outfielder. The Jays have Daulton Varsho, George Springer, Anthony Santander, Myles Straw, Davis Schneider, Addison Barger, Joey Loperfido, and Nathan Lukes as options to take reps in the outfield grass, and they are also kicking the tires on adding a premium name in Kyle Tucker via the free agent front this winter.

Although it appears there is a logjam in the outfield, there is a way for RJ Schreck to break camp with the Blue Jays in 2026.

Splitting most of the 2025 season between Double-A/Triple-A, Schreck was one of the most consistent bats in the Jays’ farm system and finished the year with a .249/.395/.459 slash line. He walked 70 times this past year thanks to his plus-eye at the plate and made considerable strides with his power, putting up 18 home runs (an even 9/9 split between AA and AAA). He fits the Blue Jays’ hitting program to a tee: do damage in your wheelhouse and pass the baton to the next batter.

As it sits right now, Schreck is on the outside looking in for playing time in Toronto, but if the Jays move someone from the mix (Lukes, for example) and the Jays prospect has a strong spring, he could find a way onto the Jays bench to start the new year. He will be in tough against Loeprfido and Jonatan Clase, who is out of options heading into this season, but he could find himself ahead of Schneider, who could begin the year in Triple-A as well if he struggles this spring.

A couple of dominoes have to fall for this to come to fruition, but that’s what makes Schreck an outside candidate, especially after earning MLB Pipeline’s Blue Jays position player Prospect of the Year for 2025. 

The Jays outrighted right-hander Yariel Rodriguez early into the offseason, a surprising move considering Rodriguez has been a consistent name in the organization’s pitching corps since signing with the club in the winter of 2023/2024. Last season, he worked as a reliever and posted a 3.08 ERA across 66 outings and 73 innings, striking out 66 batters (8.1 K/9) with a 4.2 BB/9. He made four appearances for the Jays in the postseason, tossing 1 2/3 clean innings against the Yankees in the ALDS before the Mariners tuned him for two hits and three earned runs in the ALCS, which resulted in him being left off the World Series roster.

Rodriguez still has a track to the big league bullpen, but he’s entering the new year looking for a job. He was a useful middle reliever in the Jays corps, although his command did waver at times and he wasn’t really in the ‘circle of trust’ towards the end of the season, as he really struggled in August (7.71 ERA with eight earned runs in 9 1/3 innings with nine walks).

The Jays’ bullpen picture is a bit different this time around, and there are fewer spots for the taking come spring. Assuming Toronto carries 13 pitchers – five starters/eight relievers – that’s eight spots to play with and not a lot of room for anyone to cut in:

This leaves two spots for: Brendon Little, Mason Fluharty, Braydon Fisher, Tommy Nance, Angel Bastardo (R5), Spencer Miles (R5), Chase Lee, and Paxton Schultz, alongside Rodriguez. There is potential that one or two names on this list start the year in Triple-A because of the business side of the game, and while a few here are either out of options or have to be returned to their previous team under the Rule 5 process, it will be a grind for those looking for one of those two open spots.

Injuries or trades (which move Ponce or Lauer to the rotation) can really impact the Opening Day roster, and we have seen bullpens become very fluid over the course of a regular season. Overall, Jays fans will likely see Rodriguez at some point in 2026, it’s just whether it is out of the gate or sometime later in the summer.

Right-hander Ryan Jennings is an interesting name in the Jays system. He hasn’t crafted the fanfare that some other pitching prospects have generated through the farm system, but he’s been a very reliable arm who has high strikeout numbers when things are working well.

Starting the 2025 season in Double-A, Jennings transitioned into a full-time reliever this past campaign and authored a 2.86 ERA through 11 outings, which prompted a quick promotion to Buffalo. He struggled a bit at the next level, especially with his command, where he walked batters at a 7.3 BB/9 clip and saw an uptick in his H/9 (9.8) and his WHIP (1.889). It’s fair to say the command issues played a big part in this, but on the flipside of this argument, when things are working and firing on all cylinders for Jennings, he is a premium strikeout artist. He struck out 54 batters across 36 innings in Buffalo, finishing the season with a 13.5 K/9 and has consistently been a double-digit K/9 arm even when he was a starter early in his pro career.

Similar to Rodriguez above, Jennings is fighting an uphill battle when it comes to a big league roster spot in 2026. There simply aren’t enough spots to go around, barring injuries or trades that free up some space. However, if Jennings can prove this spring that he can continue to strike bats out at a high rate while keeping the walks in check, he could easily set himself up as a ‘name to watch’ in spring training and could be on the fast track to the big leagues.