Blue Jays Quick Hits: Shortstops, Grichuk, Yanks and More

Blue Jays news and notes from the weekend of May 26th, 2018.

Santos Demoted Again

In minor news, Keegan Matheson of Baseball Toronto reports on Twitter that farmhand Luis Santos has recently been optioned to Double-A New Hampshire from Triple-A Buffalo.

Santos is perhaps best known for his abysmal appearance in the second game of the doubleheader in Cleveland on May 3rd, in which he surrendered six earned runs on five hits in 1.2 innings, bringing his season ERA to 32.40 and his WHIP to 4.800.

Shortstop Roulette Continues

According to Arash Madani of Sportsnet, who tweeted this graphic, the Blue Jays have now started seven(!) different men at shortstop this year with the surprising start of Russell Martin in Saturday’s middle game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Aledmys Diaz currently leads the way with 29 starts, with Gio Urshela behind him with eight starts on the year. Yangervis Solarte, who only has one start at shortstop, will get the start in Sunday’s game in Philadelphia. This is his 37th career appearance at shortstop.

Lind Cut Loose by Yankees

Former Blue Jay Adam Lind was recently released by the New York Yankees, marking the end of his second stint with the club. This year, Lind has spent most of his time with Yankees’ Class-A affiliate.

More from Toronto Blue Jays News

• Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. open to a long-term contract
• Blue Jays: Snapping cold streaks at the right time
• Who Should the Blue Jays Extend First: Guerrero, Bichette or Manoah?
• Blue Jays now hold the top Wild Card spot, and yes that’s a good thing
• Blue Jays may have the tools to use a Bullpen Day

Lind currently sits ninth in Blue Jays franchise history in home runs, 12th in doubles, 10th in RBI, 18th in runs and 12th in slugging percentage. Prior to his stint with the Yanks, Lind saw time with the Nationals, Mariners, and Brewers.

Checking in on Joey Bats

Since joining the New York Mets less than one week ago, Jose Bautista has slashed .400/.571/.600 in four games since joining the Mets, clubbing a double and striking out twice. He also managed a sacrifice fly in his Mets debut against the Miami Marlins.

Defensively, he’s appeared once at third base, once in left field and thrice as a pinch hitter. He has walked twice and has been caught stealing once.

Grichuk Gets Going in Dunedin

Right fielder Randal Grichuk has recently begun his rehab stint in Dunedin, appearing in three games for the D-Jays entering Sunday. In 11 plate appearances, Grichuk has smashed one home run and has struck out three times, walking five times.

According to recent reports out of Toronto, Grichuk is expected to rejoin the team in the next few weeks, with some reporting that he’ll soon be sent to Double-A New Hampshire in order to avoid some incoming bad weather in Florida.

Stroman Begins Long Toss

According to Mike Wilner of Sportsnet, Marcus Stroman has been throwing for the last few days and will throw a side session early this week. Stroman went on the DL with what was described as “right shoulder fatigue” on May 11th, following an awful start to the season with saw his pitch to a 7.71 ERA in 37.1 innings.

Stroman has yet to appear in any rehab games and will likely begin his rehab stint in Dunedin, just as Grichuk did recently.

Next: Blue Jays: The Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Solution