Colby Rasmus Benched by Blue Jays

Colby Rasmus‘ season could be coming to a rather unceremonious end, as the Blue Jays outfielder will reportedly be benched going forward.  Giving way to a platoon of Anthony Gose and Kevin Pillar, not to mention the presence of top positional prospect Dalton Pompey, Colby Rasmus may see just a handful of at bats down the stretch.

With his average sitting at .225 and showing little indication of improvement, the move is logical, but still may surprise many Blue Jays fans as the team seemed determined to continue riding their regulars until recently.  He missed time recently for a reported “illness”, which may have been some foreshadowing of this move.

The benching of Colby Rasmus, much like the exclusion of several veteran arms from their September call-ups, shows an encouraging shift in philosophy from the Blue Jays.  If Toronto hopes to make a late run this season, they can no longer afford to wait for struggling players to re-discover their top forms.  A platoon of Gose and Pillar gives the Jays their best chance to win as they stand right now, and this move should clearly signal that the Blue Jays will not be interested in re-signing Colby Rasmus this upcoming offseason.

Although Rasmus appears intent on saying the right things, he has yet to be overly convincing.  This must be a blow of disappointment for the 28 year old, however, who entered the season with a chance to put his great set of skills together and earn a massive contract in free agency.  Instead, Rasmus may be tempted to seek a “prove-it” deal this offseason with which he can re-establish himself as a contributing Major League regular.  Regardless of his age, Rasmus still has undeniable potential that several teams will be eager to roll the dice on.

The era of Colby Ramus appears ready to end not with a bang, but with a whimper.  Often drawing the ire of Blue Jays fans during his up-and-down tenure in Toronto, it feels difficult not to empathize with Rasmus following his missed opportunity.  However, he was afforded every possible opportunity, and then some, to succeed in 2014.  This season threw him a hanging curveball, and he swung right over the top.