When injured starter Cody Ponce’s turn in the rotation comes around this Sunday in Chicago, the Toronto Blue Jays will likely be best served to deploy a reliever-filled day to conclude their three-game series versus the White Sox.

As of now, the organization has yet to officially reveal its rotation plans for this series beyond Dylan Cease, who’ll start against his former team on Friday, and Eric Lauer over the first two games. What we do know, though, is that there won’t be any shuffling taking place here, meaning Max Scherzer remains scheduled to open next week’s World Series rematch versus the Los Angeles Dodgers on extra rest in Monday’s opener back at Rogers Centre.

Alternatively, there are a few ways the Blue Jays could decide to handle Ponce’s vacated rotation spot moving forward, at least in the short term until some of their starting pitching depth — which includes the likes of José Berríos, Trey Yesavage and Shane Bieber — return from the injured list.

Option 1: Recall a traditional starter from Triple-A Buffalo for Sunday’s series finale in Chicago.

Option 2: Have the bullpen cover all nine innings (or more) for Sunday’s series finale in Chicago.

The biggest issue with the first option, however, is that the Bisons’ staff is rather thin on traditional starters right now. Much of the rotation is currently stocked with either hybrid arms or starters who aren’t fully stretched out. Earlier this week, manager John Schneider listed Chad Dallas, who’s scheduled to pitch for Buffalo on Saturday, and CJ Van Eyk, who logged four innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts on Tuesday, as potential call-up options.

Those two are likely their only viable options for length in the rotation. Since Grant Rogers pitched for Buffalo on Thursday, that takes him off the board as a possible replacement candidate for Sunday. It’s also unlikely that veteran Austin Voth, signed to a minor-league deal last month after being released by the White Sox, would be an option as he’s currently built up to just three innings.

But since the Blue Jays already recalled right-hander Lazaro Estrada from Triple-A earlier this week, and have yet to use him since then, the most logical scenario would be to save him to pitch the bulk of Sunday’s innings in place of Ponce — who’ll meet with Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday to determine whether he’ll require surgery on his injured right knee.

When asked about the possibility of using a bullpen game versus the White Sox, Schneider said this week that it’ll depend on how many innings his relievers have to cover over the first two games of the series. However, assuming Estrada and possibly Spencer Miles, who can also pitch multiple innings, aren’t needed Friday or Saturday, chances are they’ll be a big part of Sunday’s game plan.

The Blue Jays could also call up a fresh arm if needed ahead of the series finale in Chicago, with Chase Lee and Adam Macko — both already on the organization’s 40-man roster — positioned as the most likely recall candidates.

Looking ahead beyond this series, the next time Ponce’s spot is slated to come around again would be in Minnesota on Apr. 11. Thanks to an off-day between the Dodgers and Twins series, that could be another opportunity to deploy a bullpen game, buying Toronto’s brass an extra week as Berríos and Yesavage — both of whom are much further ahead of Bieber — inch closer to beginning rehab assignments.

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