Blue Jays’ stars are dropping like flies, injury updates

Yet another Blue Jays’ hitter had to leave the game on Tuesday, as Kendrys Morales was removed in the 8th inning, and will reportedly undergo an MRI on his tight hamstring.

The Blue Jays have been bitten by the injury bug enough this season that it’s starting to feel like an infestation. As we’ve discussed plenty of times here at Jays Journal, they’ve been without Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki, J.A. Happ., Aaron Sanchez and more lately, and the list is still growing.

Russell Martin was placed on the 10 day DL on Monday with stiffness in his shoulder, and Kendrys Morales left the game against the Cleveland Indians with hamstring tightness, and will reportedly have an MRI on Wednesday morning to determine the extent of the injury.

While the Jays have been receiving great production from unlikely sources like Ryan Goins, Darwin Barney, Justin Smoak and Kevin Pillar, it’s going to be very difficult for the club to stay in contention if they can’t stay healthy. A look at their anticipated opening day lineup provides a sobering visual.

1- Devon Travis

2- Josh Donaldson (DL)

3- Jose Bautista

4- Kendrys Morales (MRI on Wednesday)

5- Troy Tulowitzki (DL)

6- Russell Martin (DL)

7- Justin Smoak

8- Ezequiel Carrera/Steve Pearce

9- Kevin Pillar

1- Marco Estrada

2- J.A. Happ (DL)

3- Marcus Stroman (Had to leave the start before last, but appears healthy)

4- Francisco Liriano

5- Aaron Sanchez (DL)

Comparing the lineup that John Gibbons trotted out on Tuesday night to the one above is pretty telling. As I said, the fill-in guys have been performing admirably but it’s not realistic to expect them to provide what someone like Josh Donaldson brings to the table.

Let’s take a look at the list of players that are out, and what their absence means to the lineup.

Designated Hitter/1st Base- Kendrys Morales

Morales had been one of the few Blue Jay regulars to avoid injury issues so far in 2017, but that run of health came to an end on Tuesday night. Unfortunately Morales had to leave the game, being removed in the 8th inning with reported hamstring tightness.

The 33 year old is scheduled to have an MRI on Wednesday morning and the Blue Jays should release an update some time after that. With the new 10 day DL being such a utilized tool for many clubs across the MLB, including the Blue Jays, it’s highly likely he’ll land on there, even if it’s just for the minimum 10 day stay.

Morales has spent the majority of his time at designated hitter, so at least the Jays don’t have to worry about replacing defence as well in this case. That said, someone will have to slide into his role, which just means the depth is thinned out elsewhere. For example, if the Blue Jays decide to utilize Jose Bautista at DH, they’ll need to slot someone else in the outfield.

The primary beneficiary of Morales being out may be Steve Pearce, who hasn’t been a full-time starter this year with the solid play of Justin Smoak at first base, Ezequiel Carrera in left, and of course, his own struggles at the plate.

Shortstop- Troy Tulowitzki 

Troy Tulowitzki landed on the DL on April 22nd with hamstring issues, and has remained out of the lineup since. It was initially thought that he would be back after the 10 day minimum, but his legs haven’t responded quite as quickly as the Blue Jays had hoped.

In his absence the Blue Jays have been receiving some very solid play on both sides of the ball from Ryan Goins and Darwin Barney. Goins in particular has spent the majority of time at shortstop and has dazzled on defence, while chipping in far more than expected at the plate as well.

That said, when Tulowitzki is healthy and rolling there aren’t many shortstops who can bring as much value to the diamond. At 32 he remains of the better defensive shortstops, and is still legitimate threat at the plate, even if he hasn’t quite produced at the level that he did as a member of the Colorado Rockies.

The good news is, Tulo has been on the field taking ground balls the last couple days in a row, and impressed while taking batting practice on Tuesday as well. Hopefully he can return to the lineup this week and perhaps he could slot in at designated hitter initially to ease his way back from injury.

Starting Rotation- Aaron Sanchez 

Aaron Sanchez’s season hasn’t gone according to plan, as he’s only pitched 13.1 innings, and has landed on the 10 day DL twice already this season. The first time was the result of blister issues on right pitching hand, which seem to be behind him now after a minor surgical procedure.

After returning to the mound post-blister issues, the 2016 AL ERA leader was only able to throw one inning before having to leave again, landing back on the DL, this time with a split nail on his middle finger on the same pitching hand.

Sanchez threw a successful session on Tuesday, throwing 60 pitches and reporting no problems afterward. The Blue Jays remain hopeful that he’ll be able to take the mound on Sunday, and hopefully stick in the rotation for good this time.

In his absence the Blue Jays have turned to the likes of Mat Latos and Casey Lawrence, both of whom have been designated for assignment since, and also moved Joe Biagni from the bullpen to the rotation to help navigate the injuries.

Starting Rotation- J.A. Happ

J.A. Happ was a revelation after returning to the Blue Jays on a 3 year contract last season, winning 20 games in his first season back in Toronto. Happ had been with the club from ___ before a trip to the Seattle Mariners and Pittsburgh Pirates before returning to Toronto as a free agent.

Unfortunately his 2017 campaign hasn’t gone the way he’s wanted either, as he landed on the disabled list after leaving his start on April 16th after just 4.1 innings with tightness in his elbow. An MRI revealed some inflammation, and the Blue Jay shave been very cautious with easing him back toward a return.

The latest report has Happ throwing from 90 feet, but there is no hard plan for his return to the rotation either. As was the case with Sanchez’s absence, the Jays turned to Latos, Lawrence, Biagini, and most recently Mike Bolsinger to fill in the rotation spot. Bolsinger had an encouraging outing on Monday and will likely get another start as long as the Blue Jays can keep him on the 40 man roster, something that could be somewhat difficult with Sanchez’s pending return.

When you hear “elbow inflammation” it usually means the worst in the pitching world, but the Blue Jays remain hopeful that Happ can make a full recovery and make a solid contribution to the club in 2017, and also next year, in the final season of his contract.

Catcher- Russell Martin

The Blue Jays were already thin in their lineup before the injuries to Russell Martin and Kendrys Morales in the last few days. In Martin’s case, he had been removed up to 3rd in the batting order, and was performing much better than the first dozen or so games of the year.

Sure enough, the injury bug bit Martin as well, and he landed on the 10 day disabled list on Monday, joining several other Blue Jays stars on the sidelines. For the Canuck backstop it was a case of left shoulder irritation, and it was enough to land him on the DL, hopefully for just the 10 day minimum. Martin is a tough customer who regularly plays through being banged up, so obviously the issue was significant enough to keep him out of an already depleted lineup.

The injury couldn’t really have come at a better time, and thank you to @bluejaysalways for summing up my feelings in a Seinfeld themed tweet.

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In his absence the Blue Jays called up Mike Ohlman, who made his Major League debut on Tuesday catching Mike Bolsinger, forming a battery that had appeared in Triple A Buffalo already this season.

Ohlman had been tearing the cover off the ball with Buffalo Bisons and had certainly earned the call-up. The club also has Luke Maille who joined the team after they designated and released Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Martin has been a staple behind the plate since arriving in Toronto, and will hopefully return after the short stint on the disabled list as well, if all goes according to plan. While Ohlman and Maille are serviceable, neither bring the upside that Martin brings on both sides of the ball.

In addition to everyone we’ve already discussed, the Jays are also missing Dalton Pompey, Bo Schultz and Rule 5 pick Glenn Sparkmann from their roster, rounding out a talented disabled list. Hopefully the injury bug will leave the team alone now and they can get their best lineup on the field sooner than later. With 129 games remaining in the season, there is still time, but they’ll need to get healthy in order to truly have a chance to compete over the long haul.