Blue Jays Morning Brew: Pompey, WBC, & more

Your Toronto Blue Jays news and notes for Sunday, March 12, 2017.

Pompey injury in WBC on slide into second base

Dalton Pompey sustained a minor injury during an attempted steal, while playing for Team Canada in the WBC. Pompey was sliding in second base on the attempted steal, and came up feeling a little bit dizzy.

The league doesn’t mess around with concussion protocol at the best of times, but especially not during the World Baseball Classic. MLB teams have been a reluctant partner for the tournament, because of concerns around player injury.

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It doesn’t sound as though Pompey’s injury is serious, but any time the word “concussion” is thrown around, there is an established protocol that must be followed in order to ensure player safety. The injury also comes at a bad time for the talented Canadian, as he was performing well in his bid to make the Opening Day roster.

T.J. House returns to the team after scary incident

It sounds like T.J. House will make a full recovery for the Blue Jays, which is the best possible news for the 27 year old pitcher. House took a come-back line drive off the head and had to be removed from the field on a stretcher.

House managed to give fans and teammates a positive sign before leaving the field, giving a thumbs up to show he was aware of his surroundings. He’s already been released from the hospital, just 1 day after the scary on-field incident. It’s unlikely we’ll see him back on the mound in the immediate future, but things look a lot more positive than initially thought for the former Cleveland Indian.

Aaron Sanchez makes his Grapefruit League debut

Aaron Sanchez finally made an appearance in live game action, throwing 1.2 innings against the Phillies on Saturday. He allowed 3 hits and a walk, giving up 2 earned runs in his first time out. Pitchers are often quick to dismiss results on paper, and Sanchez and the coaching staff didn’t seem concerned at all with anything he did on the mound.

The Blue Jays chose to hold Sanchez back a little bit this spring, after he threw over 200 innings last season, when you include his playoff starts. He was a first time All-Star and finished 7th in the Cy Young award voting, so the Blue Jays hope for big things again from the 24 year old.

Donaldson participating in team workouts

Josh Donaldson took another stride toward getting back in the lineup, joining his teammates for on-field workouts on Saturday.

The 2015 AL MVP has been slowed by a calf strain, but still looks on track to be healthy in time to start the regular season.

Stroman gets the best of Bautista in WBC

In a rare opportunity to watch teammates face off, Marcus Stroman got to pitch against Jose Bautista, when they met in the World Baseball Classic on Saturday. Stroman will get the bragging rights for this round, getting his beloved teammates to strike out looking.

That was a nasty slider, and hopefully Stroman can take his impressive Spring results into the regular season. He looks poised for a big year in his 4th season with the Blue Jays.

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