Blue Jays Devon Travis reportedly looking at May return

Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis is reportedly three months away from his return, and has his eyes on Toronto’s vacant leadoff spot when healthy

Second baseman Devon Travis may have the best odds of being the Toronto Blue Jays leadoff hitter by mid-season.

There’s one problem, of course, in that Travis is still recovering from a shoulder procedure this past offseason that will see him miss spring training and the opening of 2016.

The 24-year-old tells Sportsnet’s Mike Johnston that he is “three months out right now”, aligning him with a potential mid-May return, and once he’s back, Travis is fully intent on claiming a spot at the top of the batting order.

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“To think that I have the opportunity to hit in front of guys like Donaldson and Bautista and [Encarnacion], Tulowitzki, [Martin] – I mean the list seriously could go on and on – it would be an awesome opportunity,” Travis said on Wednesday while appearing on The Fan 590. ““When I’m healthy I believe I could be a good guy for the job.”

Travis is already in Dunedin as he continues his rehab for a genetic condition known as Os Acromiale, a “bone non-union” in his left shoulder.

“I’ve played with [the condition] my whole life. I’ve never had any shoulder issues. Whether it was coincidental or something happened that actually caused it no one really knows…It gradually got worse and worse and worse to where I couldn’t hide the pain anymore from anybody.”

Appearing in just 62 games as a rookie for the Blue Jays, Travis put together an impressive slash line of .304 / .361 / .498 despite battling his shoulder injury. Ben Revere he is not on the bases, but as a runner that is certainly fast enough and smart enough to work ahead of the heavy bats, an on-base percentage in the neighbourhood of .361 would be a brilliant fit.

His eventual return will also shuffle Toronto’s infield back into order, assuming that no other injuries crop as play gets underway. After some extended time in Florida, expect Travis to be brought along slowly through a rehabilitation stint in the minor leagues before resurfacing at the Rogers Centre.