Toronto Blue Jays need to find a solution with Kendrys Morales

Injuries have started to have an influence on the Toronto Blue Jays’ lineup and Kendrys Morales‘ struggles are impacting the roster’s flexibility.

So far the Toronto Blue Jays‘ season is going better than expected for the most part, despite their recent series loss to the Boston Red Sox.

The team’s offence is among the top 10 in the MLB in runs and tied for third in home runs, yet there are still areas that can be improved. Tao of Stieb wrote for Sportsnet that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. should be promoted, which might be a simple solution but unfortunately isn’t.

The first issue is finding a spot in the lineup, because as of right now there isn’t one for him. He is playing third base in Double-A, but expecting him to be capable of being ready to do that at the major league level is not ideal.

Sure there’s the possibility of using him as the designated hitter, but that brings up more challenges than solutions. Not only will it limit his development as a fielder, but that position is already occupied by Kendrys Morales and that’s where the issue lies.

Ever since Blue Jays’ management brought in Morales to be the replacement for Edwin Encarnacion it hasn’t gone as expected and yet the team continues to stand by him, as Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star wrote. 

It is hard to justify keeping Morales on the roster at this point, but his contract presents a challenge for the Blue Jays. They had to option Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in order to bring up relief for the bullpen, which has been exhausted by the starting pitching woes.

Gurriel Jr. doesn’t deserve to be in Triple-A down based on how he has performed in comparison to Morales, but his contract alone ties management’s hands. Andrew Stoeten wrote in The Athletic about the possibility of moving on from Morales and the issues that come with it.

He discusses how the eventual return of Steve Pearce and Randal Grichuk is another reason why bringing up Vladdy Jr. isn’t ideal; the numbers simply don’t add up. Teoscar Hernandez is proving to be a valuable addition to the outfield where there is a major surplus.

Also don’t forget that Troy Tulowitzki could make his way back to the roster this season, so a decision will have to be made at that point probably. Pearce would be the ideal player to have in the DH/1B spot and possible play in the outfield if needed.

A trade or DFA of Morales could also open up the possibility of having Tulo or Josh Donaldson play in the DH spot. At what point does management go to ownership and explain that they made a mistake?

Now they could tell Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins that they will have to figure it out, but expecting a dramatic turnaround from Morales seems highly unlikely.

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At some point, this inefficiency might cost the Toronto Blue Jays a chance at the second wild-card spot, but it could have a far more damaging impact if Morales is expected to play out the remainder of his contract.