Blue Jays reliever Ken Giles has returned to the 10-day injured list with a right forearm strain, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports. The team also placed outfielder Derek Fisher on the IL with a knee issue, optioned lefty Anthony Kay, activated outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, and recalled righties Jacob Waguespack and Hector Perez.
It’s an alarming situation for Giles, whom arm injuries have weighed down dating back to 2019. He was enjoying an all-world campaign last year before elbow troubles shelved him and prevented the Blue Jays from dealing him before the trade deadline. Giles came back healthy this year, but after making two appearances at the beginning of the campaign, he sat from late July until Sept. 11. The 29-year-old struggled in the two outings sandwiched between IL stints, and has given up four earned runs in 3 2/3 frames this season.
Giles’ season could be over at this point, though he may have a chance to return if the Blue Jays qualify for the playoffs. For now, though, his loss is a blow to their bullpen and potentially to his bank account. As a pending free agent, Giles could have been in for a sizable contract had he been healthy and effective this season. That could still prove to be the case when the offseason rolls around, but Giles’ value certainly hasn’t risen in 2020.
The good news for Toronto is that it’s getting back Hernandez, who was among the league’s top hitters before he went on the IL on Sept. 7 with a left oblique strain. So far, Hernandez has slashed .308/.358/.637 with 14 home runs in 159 plate appearances.
Could Derek Fisher’s knee injury be responsible for his dropped fly ball yesterday?
Shoemaker threw live batting practice today and hit Fisher in the knee today. Sadly the injury wasn’t in correlation with the dropped fly ball.
May need to conduct an investigation into whether Walker paid Shoemaker for the knee pitch.
If Walker paid, he probably isn’t wanting a knee pitch.
Hah maybe Walker used to figure skate?
My order of least wanting to hit by a pitch, never tested each place, just a theoretical list:
1) Groin
2) Face
3) Hands/Feet
4) Ribs
5) Knees/Elbows
I would say the dropped fly ball yesterday may have contributed to his sore knee today. Along with the other 3 missed plays.
I expect his “knee injury” may be a result of his problems in fielding the ball in right field and a nice way of getting off the roster for now?
Giles has not looked himself, this makes sense. But I am shocked at how fast Teoscar has come back from the oblique issue. Early prognosis was that he would miss maybe the rest of the season, and boy was that wrong.
Ruh-roh!
Hopefully when Fischer is back they DFA him. Complete garbage of a player
I watch the game I’m glad he didn’t pouch himself into the injury list.
He seems to have lost his stuff maybe next year will be better for him.
I still see a Tommy John surgery coming for Giles – sooner or later?
Yup he 100% needs it but has been trying to pitch through it pretty much since being traded to the jays
Yeah I think that’s got it right there, been watching that all along. Hoping that he can get away from having it?
Wow alot going on.
Shame about Giles- what a dynamic duo Giles and Romano would have made if healthy.
Great news about Teo ,
Will be interesting to see how Perez performs.
If there’s one thing this season has proved beyond doubt for the Blue Jays, it’s that paying for a premium closer like Giles isn’t the best use of their payroll. Closer by committee is fine, spend that money on starting pitching.
Matt Shoemaker is the Blue Jays pitcher of the year. If this story is true.
Maybe it happened, maybe it didn’t. Fisher has no place in the major leagues and the scouts who gave Atkins the thumbs up to trade for him have no place in baseball either.
Glad to see Perez get a chance. I thought Yennsy Diaz would get the call before Perez.
Kay has control problems. People still not believe that?
Still silent on the status of Romano. Concerning.
Bill
Read somewhere Romano is throwing from 90 ft still a ways to go yet.
There ya go. That “somewhere” was hard to remember, wasn’t it? If it was Sportsnet or Jays Journal or MLBTR we could point to that. This tells me this cannot be good for Romano. He was the best arm out of the bullpen up until his injury.
Looks like Hernandez is activated but not playing tonight. Why have him DH when you have Joe Panik? Plus the Jays best hitter, Travis Shaw, is hitting 3-hole tonight.
Ben Nicholson Smith Sep16 SN interview mentions Romano throwing up to 90 feet flat ground as of Sep 15th update that he was provided.
Curious to hear the reason why to activate but not start Hernandez.
Save him for a PH when the game could be out of hand before the lineup has turned over? eeek.
He must be feeling strong enough for 1 at bat only? Had his workout today, so the activation is a day earlier than expected.
Better alternative as a PH option if it isn’t another blowout.
The lineup leans more toward slogging through a busy stretch than fighting for playoff lives.
No complaints with the start of September for Panik.
Shaw has had a decent couple weeks to start the month.
I’d look at Biggio/Bichette/Gurriel/Vlad/Grichuk/Panik/Jansen/Shaw/Villar personally.
Assuming Teoscar limited from starting.
Biggio/Bichette/Teoscar/Gurriel/Vlad/Grichuk top 6 for the rest of season as much as possible would be ideal to me.
I assume you are being sarcastic about Travis Shaw being the Blue Jays best hitter?
To me if they are not going to play Hernandez then why activate him? He is their best hitter and should be in the lineup. If he is not fully ready, than they should not have activated him and risk re-injuring him.
I am glad that both Ros Atkins and the Nintendo manager have both stated multiple times this season that they are “Going to field the best lineup possible every night because the season is short and there is not much room for error”. Yet we’ve seen guys like Fisher and Drury way to much and now tonight Hernandez is sitting on the bench.
I can’t figure this manager out and I hope he is gone.sooner than later.
Thanks Filthy
I was sensing some major sarcasm, used excellently.
Teoscar has a strong arm.
Best test for oblique will be an inning of mop up?!
^That’s my sarcasm attempt, not quite as strong but my humour leans heavily to the stupid side.
A full collapse speeds up the housecleaning, but do we really want that?
Try to trick yourself into liking Montoyo for a few weeks here.
There is something that has the team playing above expectations with quite a skeleton crew, and I feel like maybe Charlie gives great hugs or something that keeps the young players happy and loose enough to pull off some of these magical comebacks.
Or there is some ‘Angels in the Outfield’ type of voodoo at play and he’s just riding that Danny Glover wave to success.
Entering act three, get excited.
Darth it was massive sarcasm.
I’m sure the Jays are offended. They know better than everyone. Example: acquiring Derek Fisher. Fisher ended tenures thanks to being out of options. Hope he was worth the trouble. Why am I speaking in past tense? Fisher has a future here.
Only logical explanation for Teoscar is he is still hurt and he’s going to pinch hit. Otherwise he better be in the lineup.
Well said!
As Fisher limps away, he thinks he catches a glimpse of the rest of team carrying Shoemaker like he’s Joe Torre?
Some skills just get GMs excited, and ability to take a walk seems to be one. Vogelbach was scooped up somehow?
Much like speed? Guy like Villar will always find a role somewhere? Billy Hamilton? Mallex Smith seems to be another case of hype that is just a tease.
13 games in 12 days to close this out.
6 against the #6 offense so far.
4 against the #5.
Ryu and the house of cards behind him need some more magic from these bats to help them out.
Shoemaker pitcher of the year for hitting Fisher!
Now that’s funny right there!!
Could have put Fisher on the injured list for a brain issue.
As for Giles.. TOUGH LOSS. He’s exactly what the Jays could use right now and sounds like he might be done for the year. Maybe longer. Let’s hope 1 of the guys thats been rotating in the closer role really takes over the job for the stretch run.
When Montoya says he doesn’t pull a player just because he’s having a bad game, maybe we need a coach that will let the players know that 100% effort is required or u don’t play. Joe Siddel said it correctly, you can’t put Fisher in the field, maybe as a pinch hitter.
In case anyone hasn’t noticed, Fisher can’t hit either.
Sucks about Giles, they bought low on him due to being forced to trade Osuna, helped him rebuild his value and now his value is in the tank again. They should have moved him over the winter. They’ve had a pretty good bullpen even without Giles.
It’s been reported any offers that would have come in for Giles over the offseason were low ball offers due to injury concerns which turned out to be accurate.
I know some disagree but to acquire and keep Fisher on this roster the brilliant
Minds running the BlueJays gave Aaron Sanchez, Cal Stevenson, Biagini, and sacrifices Billy McKinney and Anthony Alford. All to keep fisher and getting really nothing in return. Does anyone see a problem with this decision- making?
Yep. Because it was for Derek Fisher. A guy with zero options left. It was atrocious.
I would have been fine with Sanchez being non-tendered. I would have been fine with Biagini staying or be traded this past offseason. Stevenson should have been promoted to the next minor league level last year and could have been on the 60-man. Fisher’s presence took away from McKinney (traded for Happ), Alford (once a prospect) and Davis who plays CF the best.
Dumb all around.