TORONTO — All season long, as a constant stream of injuries has tested the Toronto Blue Jays’ organizational depth, the one area where the club has maintained a surplus of talent is in the outfield. 

Nathan Lukes’ return from the injured list Monday, leading to the option of Davis Schneider for a reset at triple-A Buffalo, reinforced a big-league group that also includes Daulton Varsho, Jesus Sanchez, Myles Straw and Yohendrick Pinango, who survived this round of roster churn. Addison Barger, due to resume throwing in the next couple of days, is on the horizon and, barring injury, will force someone else down. In Buffalo, R.J. Schreck is trending well after a slow start and Jonatan Clase, who will be out of options next year, recently returned from injury. At double-A New Hampshire, centre-fielder Victor Arias is back after recovering from off-season shoulder surgery and is someone the club is excited about.

That’s a deep upper-level mix, one that creates opportunities as the Blue Jays seek external help, both in the short term and in a couple of months when the trade deadline arrives.

Still, as desirable as surplus is, effectively managing surplus is complicated, with Otto Lopez’s return with the Miami Marlins on Monday serving as a timely reminder of that. 

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