Former Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar to miss the remainder of 2022 season

One of the top defensive outfielders in recent memories for Blue Jays fans is Kevin “Superman” Pillar, a former 32nd round pick back in 2011.

He made his MLB debut with the Jays in 2013 and spent just parts of seven seasons with the club, earning a .260/.297/.396 slash line through 695 games with 55 home runs, 231 RBI, and a .692 OPS. Defensively, Pillar started his career at the big league level in left field but transitioned to center in 2015, holding the position until being traded in early 2019. From 2015 to 2018, Pillar boasted a 57 bDRS and routinely made highlight-reel plays each season.

With the Jays rebuilding and looking to restock the prospect cupboard, Pillar found himself traded to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for RHP Derek Law, OF Alen Hanson, and RHP Juan De Paula. He spent the rest of the 2019 campaign in the Bay Area but has jumped around the past two seasons, suiting up for the Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, and New York Mets before signing a MiLB with the Los Angeles Dodgers this past offseason.

Former Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to fix a fractured shoulder.

After posting a 1.034 OPS through 36 games in AAA, the Dodgers called him up to the big league roster on May 28th and he had one hit through 12 at-bats before suffering an injury to his shoulder. The injury was actually caused by his lone hit this year, as the righty-batter crushed a double and ended up fracturing his shoulder while sliding into third base later in the inning to avoid being tagged at the bag against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

He would finish the bottom half but would be pulled prior to the sixth inning, finding himself on the ten-day IL before deciding to undergo surgery and subsequently being placed on the 60-day IL and effectively ending his season.

This is super unfortunate for Pillar, as he was playing so well in AAA and was hoping to find a way back to regular playing time at the big league level. He should be healthy and ready to go next season to take another crack at playing big-league baseball in 2023.