Blue Jays: Randal Grichuk DL Stint a Blessing in Disguise

On April 30, the Blue Jays placed outfielder Randal Grichuk on the disabled list with a right knee sprain. While this doesn’t seem to be good for the Jays, it could have good implications in the long run.

It was a well-known fact this season that Randal Grichuk was struggling offensively. He was hitting just .106 with two home runs and seven RBIs.

The problem this presented for the Jays was that they couldn’t just put him on the bench. Grichuk is earning 2.6 million dollars this season. If the Jays put him on the bench for someone, like Teoscar Hernandez, they’d be burning all of that valuable money.

With Grichuk now unable to play, the Jays have a chance to play their best lineup, especially with Josh Donaldson expected to end his own DL stint on Friday.

The only way to get Grichuk out of the lineup was to put him on the DL. With no minor league options, he could only sit, or play. Grichuk seemed to have that decision already for the Jays right when he was acquired and penciled in as Jose Bautista‘s replacement, but he’s made that decision harder and harder as he’s kept on struggling.

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Now, I know there will be people who say that Grichuk struggled like many elite players do in April. Joey Votto is a notoriously slow April starter. But Grichuk is no Votto. He regularly posts low batting averages, consistently lowering his every full season in the majors, before a career-low .238 mark last season.

This could be a chance, as well, for Grichuk to freshen up, and work on his mechanics. He can use this time to work on his swing and hopefully come back a better player.

This could also give Grichuk extra incentive to play better. With an outfield without him, the Jays will be able to see what life is like without Grichuk. If they like it, he could be playing for a spot on the team.

This Grichuk injury will give the Jays a better shot than when they had him in the lineup. Now, they can regularly have Hernandez in right, Kevin Pillar in centre, and Curtis Granderson in left. While this isn’t an elite lineup, each of these outfielders is better than Grichuk right now.

While I wouldn’t say this is an elite outfield, they have been surprisingly good, with Granderson looking like he’s back in Detroit, Pillar finally using his bat, and Hernandez looking like an absolute steal from the Astros.

Next: Blue Jays: Teoscar Hernandez’s remarkable rise

Despite that, the only way to play them all regularly and consistently is to not have Grichuk. While this may only be a few weeks, this will give the Jays a chance to send out their best possible outfield, which, unfortunately, doesn’t include Grichuk.