Lawrence, a non-roster invitee trying to secure the final bullpen spot, helped his cause by throwing four scoreless innings in which he only allowed two hits and struck out four during a Saturday Cactus League split-squad win over the Athletics.
In the absence of an open rotation spot, the 30-year-old is looked at as a long reliever, the next closest-fitting role considering he's proven capable of eating up innings while compiling 168 starts over an extensive minor-league career that dates back to 2010. Lawrence also averaged over two innings per his 27 appearances last season with the Blue Jays and Mariners, the first in which he'd seen any regular-season major-league action. Although he produced an unsightly 6.34 ERA and 1.84 WHIP over 55.3 frames in 2017, he's been dominant over five spring outings, generating an 0.75 ERA across 12 innings.