Friday April 1st 2011 is Opening Day for the Toronto Blue Jays and fans everywhere have it marked on their calendars. The team is playing well in spring training under new manager John Farrell while introducing their up and coming talent to the atmosphere of playing with Major League ball players.

Excitement for the new season is high due to the fact that the team finally has a plan in place under general manager Alex Anthopoulos and thus far the plan is being followed. New faces are in abundance for the Jays at spring camp. With the new players in camp comes an added sense of interest as people watching the team want to see what these new acquisitions bring to the field.

One thing that is never set, even this close to Opening Day, is a baseball team’s finalized roster and that is no different for Toronto. However, Toronto did not expect that projected number two starter Brandon Morrow would not be one of the members of that roster. Morrow, who has easily been Toronto’s best starter throughout the spring (2-0, 0.75ERA, 12IP, 16K) will miss the start of the regular season with inflammation in the flexor muscle of his right elbow. The right-hander felt some discomfort in his elbow during a bullpen session on Sunday and was sent for an MRI examination on Monday. The exam showed the inflammation and despite Morrow telling the Jays he would be able to pitch in his scheduled start to begin the season the team decided to be cautious. Morrow was put on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 22nd, which means the 26-year old will only miss one start. The news is certainly a setback for Toronto, but thankfully the end result is as minor as it is.

What does this mean for the Jays starting rotation come Opening Day? It means that Jo-Jo Reyes, Kyle Drabek and Jesse Litsch will all secure a spot on the team out of spring camp. The three players were battling it out for the final two spots in the rotation with Reyes scheduled to start tonight against the Yankees; a start that was expected to be the determining factor behind the finalized 2011 rotation to being the year. Reyes pitched effectively over six plus innings of work keeping Yankee hitters off-balance with a collection of fastballs, sinkers and changeups. The start is a very positive sign for Toronto.

With the loss of Morrow Farrell has announced that Ricky Romero will get the starting nod on Opening Day with Drabek in the number two spot, followed by Brett Cecil, Reyes and Litsch.

Another piece of bad news that arrived in Jays land was the announcement yesterday that potential closer Frank Francisco, the piece that came over from Texas in the Mike Napoli deal, will likely miss the beginning of the season with tightness in his right pectoral muscle as well as inflammation in his right biceps muscle.

The 31-year old underwent an MRI last Friday which deemed him free of any injury, but when he felt discomfort afterwards during a bullpen session the team sent the right-hander to see specialist Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion. Andrews’ diagnosis was different from Francisco’s initial MRI, so the team will move cautiously with their potential closer, similar to the path they are taking with Morrow. He is scheduled to begin a throwing program on Sunday and it is likely he will not be available Opening Day. The assumption is that Jon Rauch will move into the temporary role of closer with Francisco out of action.

Another one of Toronto’s off-season free-agent acquisitions Octavio Dotel may be absent from the Opening Day roster as well. Dotel suffered a hamstring injury on March 8th which has limited the 37-year old to just three appearances this spring. The right-hander from the Dominican Republic did make a minor-league appearance yesterday striking out two in a scoreless inning of work, but his availability for the season opener in questionable.

With the potential absence of both Francisco and Dotel this could leave the door open for players such as David Purcey and Marc Rzepczynski to make the team out of spring camp.

The unexpected injuries to Morrow, Francisco and Dotel are all big losses for the Jays, but thankfully the team has the depth needed to overcome the losses. The added depth is another reason to admire how Anthopoulos is rebuilding the franchise as the future for the Blue Jays continues to look bright.