Blue Jays’ Pearce in the swing of things

Before the calf injury that sent him to the disabled list back in May, Steve Pearce was struggling to get settled with his new team.

A slow start to the pre-season because of off-season elbow surgery was part of it for the utility fielder, but he never found momentum in the early going of the regular schedule, either.

Prior to the injury that kept him out of the lineup for 27 games, Pearce was batting .205 with six extra-base hits. Since returning to the lineup on June 15, Pearce is hitting .375 with seven extra-base hits, including a solo home run in Monday ’s 4-3 win over the Red Sox.

“I’m just finding a comfort zone, that’s really it,” Pearce said of his recent surge at the plate. “Mechanically, you can do whatever you want but when you feel comfortable, you can almost find a way to slow the game down.”

HAPP-Y DAYS

Like many of his teammates, Tuesday’s starter, J.A. Happ, has been getting some traction as possible trade material for the Jays.

The 20-game winner from 2016 has rounded into form recently after an early-season stint on the DL. While Gibbons sees the appeal other teams would see in Happ, he doesn’t see the sense in the Jays moving him. “Really, he’s turned into one of the better pitchers in the league in the last couple of years in my opinion,” Gibbons said.

POMPEY SETBACK

Reports out of Buffalo indicate that the rehab efforts of injured Jays outfielder Dalton Pompey have hit another setback.

Pompey, who was recovering from a knee injury with the Triple-A Bisons, hasn’t played in 10 days and the Jays have placed the Canadian on the 60-day DL.