Blue Jays: No, Dalton Pompey still isn’t healthy

With the Blue Jays off to a horrific 2-10 start, many fans are wondering if Dalton Pompey might be the boost the club needs. Unfortunately, Pompey has yet to clear the concussion protocol after getting hurt in the World Baseball Classic last month.

With the Blue Jays struggling as badly on offence as they have in recent memory, John Gibbons and the Blue Jays brass may have to get creative to spark the team. They’ve already brought up Chris Coghlan to fill in for the injured Josh Donaldson, and moved Devon Travis to 9th in the batting order. One option they don’t have yet is bringing Dalton Pompey up to the big league club, who remains on the sideline dealing with concussion issues.

For those who’ve forgotten, Pompey was injured in the World Baseball Classic while playing for Team Canada and attempting to steal 2nd base. He drove his head into the ground on the play and was diagnosed with what was believed to be a “minor” concussion at the time. Pompey hasn’t returned to the field since that play.

With the Blue Jays struggling on offence, it’s understandable why people are wondering if he could boost the ball club. He looked great during the spring schedule and WBC, finally looking like the type of player the Blue Jays had envisioned as a potential leadoff hitter and spark plug for the lineup. The Canadian was in an uphill battle for to make the big league roster, but his injury sealed his fate for missing out on Opening day with the Blue Jays.

https://twitter.com/LasMayores/status/840698842051878912

Unfortunately for the Missisauga native, he hasn’t been able to make an appearance anywhere yet, with no reported timeline available to the media at this time. He was eligible to come off of the DL this week, but we haven’t heard any updates regarding his future for about a week now.

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With the Blue Jays having cut Melvin Upton prior to Opening Day, Pompey represents by far the best in-house speed option for the roster. Adding him to the big league roster would necessitate the move of someone else, but at this point there’s a chance the Jays would be willing to do such a thing in order to get things going. The Blue Jays are currently last in baseball in stolen bases, with Russell Martin being credited with the lone swipe of the season.

There is no guarantee that Pompey would be able to help the club snap out of their funk, but his skill set seems to be what the Blue Jays are lacking right now. They rank 28th in team batting average at .212, and 29th in OBP with a .312 mark. They’re also dead last with just 34 runs scored through their first 11 games.

Hopefully we’ll get an update on Pompey’s future sooner than later, but even if he’s able to get back on the field right away, he’s going to need a few weeks to get himself back into game shape before the Blue Jays can even entertain him as an option.

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The timing of his injury really was unfortunate, as he looked like he might be ready to make the leap and start fulfilling the potential he’s had for awhile. Hopefully he’s able to shake off the concussion issues (thought that he can easier said than done) and get back on the field where he belongs.