6 difficult roster decisions the Toronto Blue Jays must address ASAP

3. Does Kevin Kiermaier need more days off?

With many other Jays struggling recently in producing offence, one that has flown under the radar because he had been doing so well all season is Kiermaier. People may not have realized, but ever since he left the game with lower back discomfort after two outfield throws in a game against the Minnesota Twins back on May 27th, he hasn’t been the same. Adding to that was also a left wrist contusion that he suffered on June 8th in a game against the Houston Astros on a pitch from Astros’ starter Framber Valdez.

Since May 27th, Kiermaier is hitting a paltry .143, with an OPS of .426, with only seven runs scored, one double, one triple, two RBI, three stolen bases, four walks and 12 strikeouts over 20 games played. This is a far cry from his All Star-like output he was providing at the beginning of the season, in addition to being well below his usual career standards as well.

Perhaps Kiermaier, who has had a history of injuries, hasn’t fully healed from the above aforementioned injuries he had suffered during the past month. In such case, as much as Kiermaier wants to be a true warrior and play through minor ailments to continue to provide the dynamic defense for the Jays, they should be wise in giving him the necessary time off in the long-term picture to get him back to form, as many saw with George Springer for the past couple of years how playing through minor injuries significantly affected his offensive output as a result. If no IL stint is needed, then maybe give him a few more days off and have the backup outfielder in for a few games to give him the much needed rest to get him back to 100%.