The mighty Toronto Blue Jays offense was pretty much a can’t-miss against ordinary Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Erasmo Ramirez on Wednesday, scoring early and often on the way to a 12-7 rout. The Blue Jays provided two or more runs in each of the first five innings and finished with six extra-base hits. Outfielders Dalton Pompey and Kevin Pillar each went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Pompey homered, his second of the young season, while Pillar robbed Tim Beckham of a home run in the seventh inning, when he scaled the left field wall like a superhero. Pompey and Pillar are fun to watch. They hit, run, defend and … one of them is likely to lose playing time next week when the more established Michael Saunders comes off the disabled list.

Saunders, acquired via trade from the Seattle Mariners this winter, is recovering from February knee surgery and also dealing with a sore hamstring while playing at High-A Dunedin. Now 28, Saunders has mattered to fantasy owners before, falling one home run short of a 20/20 campaign in 2012, and last year, in roughly half a season of playing time, he hit .273 with eight home runs. Saunders isn’t a special player. He strikes out a lot and isn’t much help against left-handed pitching, but there’s certainly insinuation coming from Jays personnel that Saunders will be the team’s everyday left fielder when healthy, even though Pillar is hitting .314 and saving runs on a nightly basis in the outfield. Saunders is capable of providing double digits in home runs and 20 stolen bases, but then again, so is Pillar.

Pompey could also be a roster casualty here; he’s hitting only .176 so far and let’s be real, while most fantasy owners show little to no patience in waiting for hitters with such a low batting average, real teams make snap decisions as well when the player doesn’t make a ton of money and retains minor league options. I think Pompey, a switch-hitting rookie who took Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez deep last September, is capable of double-digit home runs and 30 stolen bases, but the team needs to let him play. The Jays could, in theory, use Pillar in center field in place of Pompey, or platoon him with Pompey and/or Saunders. We don’t really know yet. And since Pompey is one of the most added outfielders in ESPN leagues and Saunders will be in about a week, it matters.

There would be enough at-bats for all if first baseman Justin Smoak continues to not hit. Smoak did single in two runs and draw two walks Wednesday, but there really isn’t a whole lot to like here, and Edwin Encarnacion is more than capable of handling first base on a regular basis. I think the best Jays lineup, offensively and defensively, would feature Pillar, Pompey and Jose Bautista in the outfield, with Encarnacion at first base and perhaps Saunders handling designated hitter duties for a while until he’s 100 percent healthy. The point is, I want Pillar and Pompey to keep playing. Pillar, who has struggled to hit in other opportunities with the Jays, is barely owned in fantasy, but he hit .323 with 52 extra-base hits and stole 27 bases in 100 games at Triple-A Buffalo in 2014. I’m thinking he might be just as good as, if not better than, Saunders with regular playing time. Anyway, this decision is coming soon, so keep an eye out. For now, own Pompey, get ready to own Saunders and perhaps Pillar becomes a factor as well.

AL report: Cleveland Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer finally allowed a hit, eight of them in fact to the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, but he still won. Bauer walked four, and three times it was Adam LaRoche. He also fanned eight. There’s something here, especially if you desire strikeouts, but there’s so much pitching out there that it’s tough to trade for the guy. … Fantasy owners are whining about Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre being done, as he was hitless again Wednesday. You know what? Trade him to me. He’s far from done. He’ll probably be fantasy’s top third baseman this year. … Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop blasted his third home run. While the .292 batting average is a mirage, the power isn’t. This is a player who can hit more than 20 home runs for sure. … Alex Rodriguez homered again, and versus a right-hander. There are 20 more home runs coming. … Yankees right-hander Dellin Betances threw 10 of his 14 pitches for strikes Wednesday. Great sign. … The Kansas City Royals finally lost, though Mike Moustakas registered two more hits, and he saw nine pitches in four at-bats. Lorenzo Cain saw 25 pitches in his four at-bats. That’s better. … March hero Taijuan Walker looked awful yet again in April, as the Dodgers hit him hard and took walks, but his next outing is against the Houston Astros. If he gets lit up there, he might get sent to the minors. I would stay away. … Don’t look for Los Angeles Angels lefty Andrew Heaney to be promoted from Triple-A Salt Lake any time soon. He failed to escape the first inning at Fresno on Wednesday, allowing seven runs (four earned).

NL report: Need a catcher in a deep league? The Miami Marlins promoted Jacob Realmuto and he had two hits and a walk in his first start Wednesday. He’s probably better than Jarrod Saltalamacchia. … Chicago Cubs lefty Travis Wood mowed down the Cincinnati Reds for seven shutout innings, fanning seven. But don’t get too excited about the flashy ERA. Wood is hittable, and the ERA figures to double. … I love Anthony Rizzo hitting second. He homered in the first inning and later drew a walk. Buy low if you still can on the .240 batting average. … St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday is hitting nothing but singles, but one of them drove in two runs Wednesday. As with the Rangers’ Beltre, this is simply not a case in which an older player has lost his power. Invest. Great to see teammate Yadier Molina rap three singles. Not that there are myriad catchers on the verge of crashing the top 10, but Molina seems on the verge of leaving the group. … I watch San Diego Padres second baseman Jedd Gyorko try to hit and wonder how much longer he’ll keep a starting role. I’m serious. This is a bad start with consequences because the Padres aren’t going to wait for production. They could trade for a Chase Utley at any point too. … It wasn’t real cool losing my main closer Joaquin Benoit in LABR-NL, but at least he’s already earned three wins. No starters have done this yet. We drafted six weeks ago, incidentally, well before the Craig Kimbrel trade. … Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez hurt a hamstring and won’t play Thursday. Hopefully that’s all the time he misses.