Could Colby Rasmus Joins Blue Jays Walking Wounded

Aug 11, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Colby Rasmus (28) and right fielder Jose Bautista (19) wear red jerseys to celebrate Canada baseball day against the Oakland Athletics at Rogers Centre. The Athletics beat the Blue Jays 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

It seems only fitting that at some point even the most productive of Blue Jays players would start to fall to injuries as well. Such is the case with Toronto center fielder Colby Rasmus, who is likely headed to the disabled list with an oblique strain, as reported by Gregor Chisholm at MLB.com.

Oblique injuries are nothing to laugh at, and it appears the Blue Jays and Rasmus are going to be extremely cautious with it. According to Chisholm, the plan is for the 26-year-old to take cuts in the cage on Wednesday. If things are still not right, then he will likely land on the disabled list.

If Rasmus does land on the DL, it could be a big blow to the Blue Jays. Brett Lawrie endured an oblique strain this spring and missed time from March 22nd until April 16th. That means Rasmus could be shelves for essentially 3 weeks.

It would indeed be a shame, as Rasmus is in the midst of his finest campaign in a Blue Jays uniform. In 112 games in 2013, Rasmus owns a a solid .273 batting average, a .812 OPS, 18 home runs, 60 RBI, a wRC+ of 122, and a 4.0 fWAR, which would rank him 21st in baseball and 5th among center fielders.

If Rasmus hits the disabled list, Blue Jays fans will likely see one of two players get the call-up from Buffalo.

Kevin Pillar would be the fan favorite to get the nod, as he’s made quite a name for himself in the minors this season. The 24-year-old owns a slash line of .307/.353/.461 over the course of 123 games split between Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Buffalo. He seemed like a long-shot to start the season, but has proven his ability to hit in the minors, and the Jays may feel it is time to give him a look.

The other option is Anthony Gose, who at the beginning of the season was seen as the center fielder of the future. The 23-year-old Gose was impressive in a short stint in Toronto earlier this season, hitting .304 in 26 plate appearances between late May and early June. However, he has been dreadful at Buffalo this season, watching his average slip to .239 and his BB/K ratio slip to 36/119. There were also some questions about his maturity at one point this summer. That said, he has picked it up of late, so Toronto may give him another shot.