Roden, Wagner, Lukes and Straw grab final Blue Jays' roster spots

The Toronto Blue Jays have begun finalizing their opening-day roster.

Alan Roden, Will Wagner, outfielders Myles Straw, Nathan Lukes have all been informed they have made the opening day roster, Sportsnet's Shi Davidi and Arden Zwelling reported Sunday.

Infielder Addison Barger was sent to triple-A Buffalo. The 25-year-old hit .367/.429/.733 with three home runs, six RBI and a 1.162 OPS in 15 spring training games

Here is how the Blue Jays roster will shape up on the position side when the team opens their regular season on Thursday, March 27 at home against the Baltimore

Catchers: Alejandro Kirk, Tyler Heineman

Infielders: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Andres Gimenez, Bo Bichette, Ernie Clement, Will Wagner

Outfielders: Anthony Santander, Myles Straw, Nathan Lukes, George Springer, Alan Roden, Davis Schneider

Roden, a 2022 third-round pick, is set to make his big league debut when he steps on the field for the first time in the regular season. The 25-year-old corner outfielder was on fire in the spring, slashing .423/.556/.731 with two home runs and six RBIs.

"It was the most emotion I'd seen out of him... with a big fist pump," Blue Jays manager John Schneider said about Roden's reaction.

"I was just excited, said Roden. "I said, 'Let's bleeping go,' just pumped."

Wagner, 26, struggled a little this spring with a .243 batting average, but displayed his talent during his short stint with the big club last season. After coming to the Blue Jays as part of the return for Yusei Kikuchi, the infielder sported a .305 average with 11 RBIs in 24 games.

With Wagner's infield versatility and Roden manning the corner outfield positions, Barger was left as the odd man out.

With Will [Wagner], with Ernie [Clement] at third base, it turned Addie [Barger] into more of an outfielder and then what would the playing time look like," Schneider told reporters. "We want him to be playing consistently with the strides that he's made."

Lukes and Straw will help man centre field while Daulton Varsho is on the injured list. Lukes, 30, hit .303 with with one home run and 10 RBIs while accumulating a 1.2 WAR (wins above replacement) in 22 games with the Blue Jays in 2024.

Meanwhile, Straw brings seven years of MLB experience to Toronto's outfield. The 30-year-old was acquired from Cleveland in the off-season, and got off to a hot start with his new squad to the tune of a .414 average in spring training.