The key for the Blue Jays as they hobble toward opening day is patience

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This article was published 27/03/2021 (1686 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The start of the regular season is just days away and, by now, most teams have grown tired of the monotonous spring routine. The Blue Jays would be forgiven if they wished it lasted a little while longer.

With opening day set for Thursday in New York, the Jays are still processing their recent run of injuries. The club announced Saturday that left-hander Robbie Ray would miss his first start because of a sore arm. Prized free-agent acquisition George Springer remains questionable with a strained oblique and top prospect Nate Pearson is still limited to long toss because of a groin issue.

There was yet another scare in Saturday’s 5-1 loss to the Yankees when lefty Anthony Kay was hit with a comebacker and forced to leave his start for precautionary reasons. The good news is that he was later diagnosed with a minor contusion and is not expected to miss any time. The same cannot be said about closer Kirby Yates, who was lost for the season earlier in the week.

The Jays were one of the healthiest teams in baseball during the first month of camp. The final two weeks proved to be much different and, while the timing is far from ideal, some perspective is required. There’s a symbolic importance to opening day but it’s one game of 162 and no player is going to be rushed back just for the sake of trying to make a good first impression.

“We have to be patient,” Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said following the loss to New York. “It’s a long year and we have to make sure that they’re fine, that they’re close to 100 per cent whenever they’re coming back.”

Ray’s injury must be particularly discouraging for the Jays because he had been one of the positive stories throughout camp. After leading the majors in walks last season, Ray made several tweaks to his delivery and was throwing a lot of strikes this spring. He had 18 strikeouts and five walks in 13 2/3 innings and there was increasing confidence about a potential breakout season.

That could still happen, of course, but hitting pause one week before the season begins is not the ideal way to wrap up an otherwise productive spring. Ray will be evaluated again Sunday but it’s not immediately clear when he’ll get back on the mound. There’s still a chance Ray will be able to make an appearance in the second series of the year against Texas. If not, a stint on the injured list should be expected.

So a team that already had to replace Pearson with Ross Stripling will be forced to make some additional moves. Kay, who allowed two runs and seven hits in 2 2/3 innings Saturday, is in the mix to replace Ray but T.J. Zeuch is considered the front-runner. Zeuch has allowed one run in seven spring innings while hitting the mid-90s with his sinker, an improvement over last year.

“There are still guys competing for that spot,” said Montoyo, who lost his most logical replacement when Thomas Hatch went down with an elbow injury earlier this spring. “We’ve still got Trent (Thornton), we’ve still got T.J., we’ve still got Kay. We’ve still got guys competing for a spot now that we know Robbie is not going to make that start.”

In the outfield, the Jays appear to be at least preparing for the possibility of starting the season without Springer, who has made it clear he intends to be ready. Randal Grichuk was back in centre Saturday with Jonathan Davis in right. Davis was informed earlier in the day that he made the team’s opening-day roster.

An off-day follows the season opener, so it’s entirely possible Davis’s stay will be short-lived with additional pitching moves expected later in the week, but he’s going to stick around at least until Springer proves he is ready to go without limitations. Davis won his spot with a strong spring, which included a .294 average, three extra-base hits and three stolen bases.

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“It was awesome,” Montoyo said of delivering the news. “’I started with, ‘How’s your family, are you healthy, are you all good? ‘Then I told him, you’re going to make my day because I’m going to tell you this.’ I had (first base coach) Mark Budzinski and (third base coach) Luis Rivera in here because they wanted to be here. We all love that kid. It was a good moment for me, for J.D. and for all the coaches.”

The positive Davis news aside, none of this is how the Jays wanted to start the year, but this is one of the deepest rosters they have assembled in quite some time. While that depth will be put to the test, they were built to withstand a few of these setbacks and the bad news isn’t as crushing of a blow as it would have been in a lot of previous springs.

How much of an impact this string of poor health has on the upcoming season depends on timing. Pearson has tossed just one official inning during the Grapefruit League schedule and patience will be required as he gradually gets built back up. Springer and Ray should be back much sooner, but no one can say for sure.

But there’s no point rushing anyone. It’s better to wait things out and be ready for Week 2 or 3 than it is to force the issue for opening day.

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