DUNEDIN, Fla. — Jose Bautista is back in camp with the Toronto Blue Jays after playing for the Dominican Republic at the World Baseball Classic, and while he’d hoped to be back in his club’s lineup Wednesday afternoon he’ll now have to wait until Friday.
Bautista was originally scheduled to be the Blue Jays’ designated hitter Wednesday, but lingering lower back tightness caused the club to scratch the 36-year-old outfielder in order to give him some more time to get over the issue.
“I feel pretty good,” Bautista said. “But with an off-day tomorrow, I just talked to the staff and it made no sense to crank it up just to take a day off.”
Bautista began experiencing the back tightness while playing at the WBC, and was held out of his country’s final game of the tournament because of it. He says he didn’t do anything in particular to aggravate the area. Rather, it developed simply from the grind of being a professional baseball player.
Bautista said he could play through the discomfort if this were October. But with the regular season still two weeks away, there was no sense in pushing through anything.
“It’s long flights, travel, getting up early for practice, that kind of thing. It happens. It happens to anybody during the season and the off-season,” Bautista said. “With so many good players and so much at stake, you don’t want to be out there playing 50 per cent on any given day because your back just stiffened up.”
The Jeff Blair Show
Jose Bautista: Blue Jays can make magic again if we stay healthy
Originally aired March 22 2017
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Bautista is confident he’ll be ready to play Friday and resume what has been a very productive spring for him so far. In his 18 plate appearances prior to leaving for the tournament, Bautista had nine hits and two walks. In five games at the tournament, Bautista went 6-for-18 with a home run.
“I got off to a good start in the spring, seeing the ball well and feeling good at the plate. So, hopefully that carries on,” Bautista said. “My body feels pretty good. I have no complaints. My arm is feeling pretty good as well. I’m just excited to be back in the swing of things with the guys and looking forward to getting ready for the season.”
Meanwhile, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Melvin Upton Jr. saw a doctor recently who prescribed rest for the outfielder’s sore right shoulder. Upton Jr. hasn’t played since last Thursday due to the injury, but Gibbons said he expects the 32-year-old to return within “a few days.”
“It’s really just general soreness,” Gibbons said. “He’s been around for a while. You think he’s a 22-year-old kid when you look at him. But there’s a lot of wear and tear. Naturally, guys get to that point in their career, they get banged up, and sometimes it takes a little longer to get them going. But we think he’s going to be fine.”
Fellow outfielder Dalton Pompey also remains sidelined with a concussion he suffered while playing for Canada at the WBC. The 24-year-old has told the Blue Jays he’s felt better over the last few days, but he’s yet to be cleared to return to baseball activities. Pompey has been given a series of eye and focus tests to perform that the club believes will help his recovery.
Pompey also suffered a concussion last June while playing for the triple-A Buffalo Bisons, which makes this his second head injury in less than 10 months. With that in mind, the Blue Jays will be extremely cautious in determining when Pompey can return.
Ezequiel Carrera is also currently sidelined with a right thigh contusion he suffered in a game on Monday, which leaves the Blue Jays a little thin in their outfield corners. But with Steve Pearce scheduled to make his first outfield appearance on Saturday, Gibbons says he’s unconcerned with the accumulating injuries.
“It’s not ideal,” Gibbons said. “We don’t want those things to linger. That wouldn’t be good. But there’s no panic yet.”
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