DUNEDIN, Fla. — This Toronto Blue Jays spring training is more about putting in work than answering questions, although as they opened camp Wednesday with the first workout for pitchers and catchers, there’s more flux to settle than previously anticipated.

There are suddenly moving parts on the pitching staff thanks to Shane Bieber’s delayed progression, which will keep him from being ready for Opening Day, and Bowden Francis’s season-ending elbow surgery. And there’s a roster spot, plus several hundred at-bats, up for grabs with shoulder surgery sidelining Anthony Santander five-to-six months. 

None of that throws the Blue Jays’ overall plans into disarray, as they remain confident their depth is sufficient to backfill those needs, along with those that will inevitably come up. But there’s some actual sorting to do over the next six weeks that will, at minimum, shape the early part of the schedule once the regular season begins March 27.

“We’re kind of in a unique spot where, from the pitching side, we have some depth on our major-league roster already, when you’re talking about Bowden and Biebs being a little bit behind,” manager John Schneider said when asked what the team needs to figure out this spring.

“Right now, it’s opening some opportunities for other guys, for one, and other guys that have been in that position, whether it’s in the rotation or guys that got playing time last year in the outfield/infield. I think the biggest thing is trying to sort out how you’re going to divvy up playing time from a position standpoint, how are you going to utilize guys that are versatile, how it best matches up against righties and lefties and let that play out through the course of camp.”

Perhaps most straightforward to resolve is the rotation, where Jose Berrios is poised to join Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce and Trey Yesavage, provided he’s healthy after finishing last season on the injured list. Eric Lauer, who lost his arbitration case to the Blue Jays on Wednesday, is in that mix as well and bound for relief work if he’s not starting. 

How that plays out impacts the rest of the bullpen, where it’s not clear if Jeff Hoffman will continue as full-time closer — Schneider left it open by saying “I feel very comfortable with Jeff doing it and if he gets the bulk of it, great,” while adding that Louis Varland and Tyler Rogers will both “play a big role late in games.” Yimi Garcia, coming off elbow surgery, isn’t a lock to be ready for opening day, as well. 

Even without Garcia, the bullpen appears crowded, with Hoffman, Rogers, Varland, Lauer, Brandon Little, Braydon Fisher, Thomas Nance and Mason Fluharty. That makes the jockeying for position behind that group intriguing, especially with not one but two Rule 5 picks in camp in Spencer Miles and Angel Bastardo.

Santander’s surgery, meanwhile, opens a door for one of Leo Jimenez, who is out of options, Jonatan Clase or Joey Loperfido to make the roster, or perhaps an external add if someone shakes loose over the coming weeks. 

Even more intriguing is how his at-bats get reallocated, as the plan for Kazuma Okamoto to get regular work at third base means Addison Barger and Davis Schneider are destined for reps in the outfield more than the infield, Nathan Lukes is likely to get the bulk of the work in left with Myles Straw mixing in as needed. 

A key strength for the Blue Jays a year ago was how they mixed and matched so effectively, and they won’t simply be able to plug and play that this season, as performance and player needs aren’t static.

“We spent a lot of time in the off-season trying to figure out what’s right for everyone,” said Schneider. “WBC throws a wrinkle into that a little bit with some position players. Our entire infield and (Alejandro) Kirkie are going to be gone for a little bit. So really just individualizing it a little bit, trying to stay ahead of any adjustments you have to make, but not using that as a crutch by any means and not saying, OK, we played into November, and we’re going to be a little bit tired. I think we did a pretty good job of staying ahead of that, and we’ll make adjustments as we go.”

Shane Bieber describes the five appearances and 18.2 innings he logged during the post-season a year ago as “the most intense innings I’ve ever thrown.” Which is why, jumping into the fray after Tommy John surgery, “it makes sense” to him why he’s experiencing forearm fatigue.

“I was just advised to take a little bit of time off and take it slow, and these things take time,” said Bieber. “I’m still not even two years out from TJ, and so it makes sense that there’s fatigue there. That’s what everybody advised me to do. Dr. (Keith) Meister was just saying to me, take some time, take time through your progression. Everything’s cleared out, I’m throwing, I’m feeling good, and ultimately, I’m excited to be here with the boys and be back this season.”

Bieber’s back with the Blue Jays after exercising his $16 million player option, foregoing free agency and a $4 million buyout. 

“I wanted to be back here. My family wanted to be back here,” he said of the decision, and he replied “no,” when asked if he felt anything that concerned him during the post-season or afterwards. 

“At the same time, it was my first time going through TJ, first time pitching that deep in the post-season, there were a lot of new elements, right? A lot of new factors,” he continued. “It all makes sense, and happy to have a plan going forward and feeling good right now. “

For now, that plan has him in a long-toss progression after a rehab-centric off-season that’s left him, “in a sense, just playing catch-up a little bit.”

He knows he won’t be ready for Opening Day, but he had few specifics about when he might be good to go beyond that.

“They do a good job of trying to keep me week-to-week,” he said. “Ultimately, I’m just going to bed every night feeling happy that I feel good within my progression. We’re going to take it slow and be smart. It’s about not how you start, but how you finish, and we definitely know that judging off of last year. I know this group’s hungry. I’m extremely hungry, and I can’t wait to get back there.”

Part of the reason Dylan Cease opted for the Blue Jays over other suitors is that the right-hander liked their ideas for how to help him max out his abilities on the mound, and the way they aligned with the priorities he’d identified.

“Really consistency,” Cease said when asked what he’s sought more of. “The stuff has always been there; it’s just whether or not I get it in the zone and utilize it. My biggest thing was how do we take what I do well and just make sure I do it more often, and adjust a little bit quicker. But any time if they think they can add a pitch or have anything like that for me, too, I’m always excited to hear stuff like that.”

To that end, Cease has been tinkering with a changeup, a pitch he threw only 34 times last season, all to left-handed hitters, and changing the shape of his fastball, which sat 97.1 m.p.h. last year and was missed on 25.8 per cent of swings. Cutting back on his 20th percentile walk rate of 9.8 per cent is another priority, which is why he’s seeking ways to more effectively patch command lapses as they happen.

“Sometimes it’s a mechanical tweak, sometimes it’s a focus, keep your eyes on the target a little longer or whatever the case may be. And sometimes I go through stretches where I take too long to find the adjustment,” he explained. “That’s one thing I’m hopeful here, that the staff gets to know me and we work together, and we kind of figure out how to get me on track more because over the course of a long season, things are going to go wrong here and there. A big part of it is just not letting it spiral multiple starts and trying to make sure it’s only one when it happens.”

The visa issues that prevented Kazuma Okamoto from arriving at camp early should be resolved in time for him to fly overseas on Friday and check in at camp as soon as Saturday evening. … Already in camp is Yusuke Oshima, the Toronto native who served as Yusei Kikuchi’s interpreter with the Blue Jays and followed the left-hander to the Angels before rejoining the organization after Okamoto’s signing. Oshima will head to the World Baseball Classic with Okamoto and do some scouting with the Blue Jays there, too.