Atkins had a media availability today in order to address Scott Boras’ harsh comments yesterday about the team giving Aaron Sanchez the league minimum after a season in which he led the American League in starters ERA. But we’ll get to that later.
There was some good and bad news on the injury-front. Which wold you rather have first? Let’s start with the bad, and then ease it off with the good.
Per Ross Atkins: Dalton Pompey has been shut down with a diagnosed concussion from the WBC.
First and foremost, Atkins said that Dalton Pompey has been shut down due to the concussion he suffered in Team Canada’s 4-1 loss to Colombia at the World Baseball Classic. Pompey has suffered from concussion issues in the past, meaning last weekend’s injury will be handled with greater precaution.
This is obviously a very, very unfortunate break for Pompey, who has had a hell of a time getting his feet back on the ground since he was demoted from the Blue Jays about a month into the 2015 season. It was clear that he was rushed through the system due to a lack of depth, and he’s only made a hanfdul of plate appearances at the Major League level since, struggling in the minors with confidence and injuries.
There’s no word on how long Pompey is expected to be out of action for, but as we know, concussions aren’t injuries to fool around with, as they can have serious negative implications on a person’s life. Let’s all hope for a speedy recovery so Dalton can get back on his grind and carry on with his life good and healthy.
Josh Donaldson is "days, not weeks" away from returning to games for the #BlueJays, says Ross Atkins. Next "threshold" is running bases.
And now the better news! Josh Donaldson and Devon Travis are both now expected to be only a few days away from returning to action, which is a fantastic sign for the Blue Jays. I think it was pretty well expected that Donaldson’s calf injury was minor, and keeping him out was more of a precaution than anything, but Travis has struggled mightily staying healthy for long periods of time, and it was speculated he would miss the start of the season.
I’ll update this post as more detailed information comes in.
Is it possible that Travis might be kept in Florida for an extended spring on account of his lack of time to prepare and face live pitching?
I think they could start him on the DL, yeah. It would also allow them to not have to expose Goins to waivers.