The Blue Jays have placed right fielder Jose Bautista on the 15-day disabled list with a left knee sprain and recalled outfielder Junior Lake from Triple-A Buffalo to take his roster spot, according to Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star (Twitter link). Bautista is the second full-time Jays outfielder to hit the DL this week, joining Kevin Pillar (thumb).
This is the second DL stint of the year for Bautista, who previously missed over a month on account of a sprained toe. Bautista just returned from that ailment July 25 before suffering his latest injury Tuesday. In the 80 appearances Bautista has made this year, he has hit a disappointing .222/.349/.444 in 355 plate appearances, though he has added 15 home runs while continuing to show mastery over the strike zone (16.3 percent walk rate versus a 17.7 percent strikeout rate). Still, combining the decline in Bautista’s 2016 numbers – which are well below the figures he has posted since breaking out in 2010 – with his age (36 in October) and two DL placements doesn’t seem to bode well for the impending free agent’s earning power during the upcoming winter.
From a team standpoint, losing Bautista is clearly a notable blow for playoff-contending Toronto, which carries a 64-50 record into Tuesday and is mere percentage points behind AL East-leading Baltimore. Without Bautista and Pillar, the Jays’ outfield alignment will consist of recent pickup Melvin Upton Jr. in center field, Michael Saunders in right and Darrell Ceciliani in left, as their depth chart shows.
Why not bring up Dalton Pompey? He’s had a good year in AAA. He’s a good defender & has speed, which is something the Blue Jays don’t have a lot of.
I think they are waiting until September, Lake has already been up, and has played more extensively in the majors before rather than Pompey, just a guess
I agree – Lake has looked horrible both in the field and at the plate. Pompey seems like the best choice.
I like how this guy approaches the game but this is why a organization has to be careful giving this guy a big contract. Seems to be breaking down more often as Father Time seems to be catching up with him. Bad break for the Jays
With Jose starting to age and being a FA (I’ll doubt he’ll be resigned) I wonder, would the Blue Jays be interested in taking a risk? Trade for Puig. He needs to get out of LA, Toronto might be a good destination for him to turn his career around.
It’s become more likely he’ll be resigned now that he’s had a down year. His price is going to be well below what it could’ve been, which means price and length (I can’t see him getting more than 3 guaranteed years now at anything more than $20mm per) shouldn’t really be an obstacle like they could’ve been; it will come down to whether the Jays want him back or not and whether he wants to come back (he has said he does, but every player says that, to be fair).
The asking price on Puig is probably going to be rather high still, and the Jays aren’t really stocked with minor league talent. Who could they move for him? Are you suggesting Bautista himself for Puig?
The price for Puig is not as high as you think. His latest Instagram fiasco has spelled his end in LA. Unless a major injury occurs, you will not see him back this season. He is not the kind of player to bring onto a contending team at this point. His teammates don’t like him and he has played poorly this year.
They wont bring up Pompey yet either because they want him to get consistent play time
That’s a good idea. But the Jays farm system is weak not sure they could pull it off.