The Blue Jays are off to an oblique start, with Teoscar Hernández joining Danny Jansen on the sidelines

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This article was published 14/04/2022 (1301 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW YORK—The Blue Jays avoided one major injury Wednesday night when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was able to play through a nasty cut on his right hand. Teoscar Hernández wasn’t as lucky.

The Jays placed Hernández on the 10-day injured list Thursday, less than 24 hours after he strained his oblique on a swing during the sixth inning. The injury apparently isn’t as severe as initially feared, but it will still require an extended absence.

The loss of Hernández came a few days after starting catcher Danny Jansen went down with a similar injury. While Jansen is expected to be out for “several weeks,” it is possible Hernández will be able to make a faster recovery, something he did once before when he missed just nine games with the same ailment.

“You never know with obliques, but I don’t think it’s as bad as we thought it was after seeing it happen,” Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said Thursday at Yankee Stadium. “Of course, I’m hoping it’s not, but I don’t think it’s as bad. We’ll see how long that takes.”

The Jays will attempt to fill Hernández’s spot in the outfield by committee. Raimel Tapia and Bradley Zimmer will split time while Cavan Biggio also could see some additional playing time, depending on how many games Hernández misses. Tapia would be a straight-up replacement for Hernandez while Zimmer is expected to start in centre when he plays, with George Springer shifting over to right.

One option that won’t be considered right away is veteran outfielder Dexter Fowler, who joined the Jays late in spring training on a minor-league deal. Fowler recently began playing in simulated games at the Jays’ player development complex in Florida and Montoyo estimated he is still a couple weeks away from being a viable option at the big-league level.

Hernández’s departure will create another hole in the Jays’ lineup as they’re forced to survive without their everyday cleanup hitter. He was batting .316 with a pair of extra-base hits and three RBIs through six games this season, including a dramatic game-tying homer against the Texas Rangers on opening day.

Hernández set career highs lat season in average (.296), on-base percentage (.346), home runs (32) and RBIs (116). He was also named to the all-star team for the first time in his career and is a reigning two-time Silver Slugger winner as one of the top hitting outfielders in the American League.

“He has been one of the best hitters in baseball,” Montoyo said. “When you look at the numbers since he came back from the minor leagues, when he got sent down in (2019), you look at the numbers, you’re talking about Mike Trout and guys like that.”

The early-season injuries might have some in the Jays front office wishing they had a mulligan on a pair of deals they struck just before the start of the regular season. One trade sent backup catcher Reese McGuire to the Chicago White Sox while another dealt Randal Grichuk to the Colorado Rockies.

The McGuire deal made sense at the time. The 27-year-old was out of options on his contract and could not be sent to the minors without first clearing waivers. That wasn’t going to be an issue in April with expanded rosters providing enough space for the Jays to carry three catchers, but it would have become one at the end of the month, when rosters are trimmed to 26.

Zack Collins, the catcher acquired for McGuire, has an option remaining, which provided the Jays with additional flexibility. The issue is that he appears to be an inferior hitter and defender to McGuire, which leaves the Jays temporarily undermanned until Jansen can return to join Alejandro Kirk behind the plate.

The situation is somewhat similar with Grichuk, who was a competent replacement when Springer went down with various injuries last year. He was sent to the Rockies for Raimel Tapia, which gave the Jays a much-needed left-handed bat off the bench, but Tapia has been almost exclusively a left-fielder during his career and doesn’t have much experience in centre or right.

With multiple injuries, it might seem like the Jays would have been better off not making either move. But the deals were minor and won’t be the cause of deep regret inside the organization.

The more pressing concern for the Jays is the health of Jansen and Hernández, two key members of a team with World Series aspirations. Both players had gotten off to hot starts with the bat and their presence will be missed, even in a starting lineup as deep and talented as this one.

THREE THINGS

Here are the three things you need to know about the Jays’ 3-0 loss to the New York Yankees on Thursday night:

Missed opportunities

The Jays had multiple chances to get on the scoreboard but came up short each time. There were a pair of runners on base in the first inning for Raimel Tapia, who hit a sharp liner to third for the final out. The Jays had the bases loaded with one out in the second but George Springer hit a weak fly ball and Bo Bichette grounded out. It was more of the same in the ninth when the Jays loaded the bases on three consecutive walks from Aroldis Chapman. Springer struck out and Matt Chapman was doubled off first base. The Jays finished 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and they left 11 men on base.

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Gausman’s gas

Kevin Gausman deserved a better fate after allowing just two runs over 5 2/3 innings. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out nine while allowing six hits. One run scored in the third thanks in large part to a pair of defensive miscues by Santiago Espinal and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. while a second run came around in the fifth on an RBI single by Jose Trevino. Gausman got 21 swing and misses, including 13 on his splitter.

Bad blood

The Jays and Yankees exchanged some heated words after Gurriel was hit by a pitch in the top of the first. Jays right-hander Alek Manoah was seen chirping Severino and that prompted several Yankees infielders to take a few steps toward the Jays dugout. Gerrit Cole also seemed more than ready to get in on the action as he leapt out of the Yankees dugout before cooler heads prevailed. Springer was hit later in the game as well, much to the delight of the Yankees faithful, but the Jays didn’t retaliate, and emotions remained calm for the rest of the game. The situation will be worth monitoring the next time these two teams play, especially when Manoah gets another start against the Yankees.

Gregor Chisholm is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @GregorChisholm or reach him via email: gchisholm@thestar.ca