Colby Rasmus Expected To Resume Baseball Activities on Saturday

Feb 24, 2014; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Colby Rasmus has been sidelined for the last week with a stiff neck, but it appears that he may be nearing a return to baseball activities by the weekend. According to Mike Wilner of Sportsnet Fan 590, the lefty swinger received a cortisone shot in his neck on Wednesday and should be cleared to return to resume practice again on Saturday.

The 27-year-old Rasmus has been held back by a stiff neck since being removed from the Blue Jays line-up on March 2nd. After sleeping on it funny, Rasmus tried to loosen up before the game and ultimately determined that he was unable to go. After a week of not seeing enough improvement to get back on the field, the team and Rasmus determined that a cortisone shot would help loosen the muscle and get him back on the field.

Prior to the injury, Rasmus had appeared in just two exhibition match-ups, but looked comfortable with the bat. In five spring at bats, Rasmus has collected 2 hits, 3 Runs Batted In, and a Run Scored. The adjustments he made a year ago seem to have stuck with him over the winter and Rasmus looks to be in a good position to build on a break-out season that saw him slash .276/.338/.501 with 22 home runs and 66 RBI. However, Rasmus also missed a stretch from August 11th through September 13th, and then was shut down 8 days later.

He’ll have plenty of time to get back in the swing of things though, with Toronto have 20 more spring match-up before the team heads to Tampa for their season opener on March 31st. As a team that wrestled with injuries a season ago, getting the entire line-up and pitching staff in place before the regular season will be key to getting the team to improve on last season’s results.