Blue Jays close the book on Maicer Izturis after shoulder surgery

Maicer Izturis, well we hardly knew you. As reported by Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, the oft-injured infielder will have his 2015 season come to a close after undergoing surgery to repair his throwing shoulder.

Signed to a three-year, $10 million deal prior to the 2013 season, the hope was that Maicer Izturis would bring his super-utility serviceability to Toronto and help solidify the team’s need at second base. However, things never got off the ground for Izturis with the Blue Jays and he goes down in the history books as another disappointment in a long line at the position.

Of course, things didn’t get off on the right foot for Izturis either.  Just eleven days after signing with the Blue Jays, Toronto pulled off a huge trade with the Miami Marlins that brought both Jose Reyes and Emilio Bonifacio to the team, eliminating one position for Izturis and putting him in a competition for the other. Whether or not that weighed on Izturis during his first year with the Blue Jays isn’t really known, but he struggled to a career-worst .236/.288/.310 slash over 107 games in 2013.

The situation appeared a bit better in 2014, when Izturis came to camp hungry and got off to a great start, hitting .286/.324/.314 to start the season. However, a freak accident on the way down the dugout steps resulted in a torn lateral collateral ligament and a lost season for the second baseman. That injury lingered into camp and he started the year on the 60-day disabled list while rehabbing it. It was on that latest rehab assignment when the bug bit Izturis again when he felt a pop in his right shoulder while diving for a ball on May 23rd.

Overall, Maicer Izturis contributed a woeful .240/.291/.310 while a member of the Blue Jays. That was a far cry from the .276/.339/.384 hitter he was while spending the previous eight seasons with the Angels.

Izturis is owed roughly $1.8 million for the remainder of 2015, all of which is guaranteed. Additionally, the Blue Jays hold a $3 million option on Izturis for the 2016 season, but with a $1 million buy-out, Toronto would be well within their reason to buy that option out and spend the remaining $2 million elsewhere. It’s a shame, as many thought he’d be the kind of gamer the Blue Jays needed on the roster, but those things never truly materialized.

At least Devon Travis fell into our laps right?!

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