Blue Jays: Ross Atkin Gives Updates on Players that are on IL

Ross Atkins had some updates on Thursday afternoon with some potential moves that could greatly impact the Blue Jays drive up the standings.  TSN’s Scott Mitchell went to Twitter to announce some of Atkins’ information on current injured players.

The biggest news was that George Springer will play in centre field in an intra-squad game on Friday. While he may return this weekend, he is still listed as day-to-day.  Springer has been the biggest loss from the club’s lineup this season.  He was signed this past offseason to a six-year $150 Million deal and slated to be the starting centre fielder and leadoff hitter.  The Blue Jays have struggled in the leadoff position to get runners on base and once he gets into the lineup it immediately makes the offence more dangerous.

Nate Pearson will also participate in the same intra-squad game and the team wants him throwing between 2-3 innings.  He was initially predicted to fit into the rotation as the number two pitcher behind Hyun Jin Ryu.  Atkins stated that he wanted Pearson pitching five innings before returning to the active roster. My best estimate is if everything works out well he is still 11-12 days away from taking the mound in a regular season game, although it could easily be longer.

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Teoscar Hernandez requires one more negative virus test before he can return to the lineup, which he has scheduled for tomorrow.  Hernandez hasn’t played since April 18 and was going through a bit of a struggle when he last played as he was just 3 for his previous 25 at bats with 13 strikeouts.  He will land himself back in the lineup once he is healthy, but the question is who will get bumped.  Initially it appeared as though the spot would be between Randal Grichuk or Rowdy Tellez, but with the current struggles of Lourdes Gurriel Jr it may be the left fielder.

Tyler Chatwood and Jordan Romano are both likely to return to the bullpen this weekend, with Chatwood being activated on Friday and Romano on Saturday.  Chatwood had been a nice surprise to start the season as he had three outings without allowing a run when he went down, but he has not pitched since April 5 against the Texas Rangers.  Romano had a strong spring, which was coming off a very successful 2020 season and the club will need him at the back end of the bullpen going forward.

While most of the news was positive, Atkins did note that Julian Merryweather would be shut down for two weeks due to his oblique injury.  Merryweather had started the season with two saves against the New York Yankees and had recorded seven strikeouts over 4.1 IP without allowing a run.  Like Romano, the bullpen’s success will be largely dependent on his return.

Who do you think will have a bigger impact on the club: Nate Pearson or George Springer?