Jays’ dilemma: What to do with Hernandez?
He’s odd man out in crowded outfield despite solid numbers, clear potential
While the Toronto CLEARWATER Blue Jays hope for Curtis Granderson to return to form as the opening day left fielder and are betting on Randal Grichuk to be both healthy and productive in right field, all Teoscar Hernandez does is give the team something to think about.
The personable 25-year-old fired up Jays fans in September when he hit eight home runs in 26 games. He’s added three more in 13 spring training games here and seems determined to play his way onto a roster that right now doesn’t have any room for him.
“He couldn’t be playing any better than he’s playing now and it goes back to last year when we called him up in September,” manager John Gibbons said Friday. “He showed us what he’s capable of. I think he’s going to be a good major league player for a lot of years.”
The Jays will point to the fact Hernandez also had 36 strikeouts in his 2017 cameo, an area of his atplate approach that clearly needs some work. But the upside is certainly evident.
“I don’t know how this is all going to shake out in the next couple of weeks but he’s earned the right to be on this team if you’re going on performance,” Gibbons said. “We’ll see.”
Given his youth and his upside, there won’t be a rush to get Hernandez to the bigs but you can be sure there will be some internal discussions on when is the most opportune time.
“Coaches and managers look at things differently. A lot of times we want the immediate,” Gibbons said. “But I’ve learned over time that you’ve got to look at the big picture, too. A lot of times you have to just let things play out.”
The when, of course, is the interesting part. With Anthony Alford out three to six weeks, Hernandez could be the next man up if there are injuries to the current starting three.
INJURY WARD
Gibbons was half joking — we think — when he said it, but on an otherwise perfect Florida Friday morning, the manager said he’s no longer talking about injuries.
And who could blame him? After a year where injuries decimated his team, there was more gloom on Friday with word that allstar first baseman Justin Smoak is being bothered by a sprained wrist.
Smoak didn’t make the trip to Fort Myers the previous day and the team said that he will return to action on the weekend, but even a minor wrist injury has a way of nagging.
Alford, meanwhile, did a little more than tweak his hamstring. Though he wasn’t expected to start the season with the team, Alford now has a grade 2 strain of his hammy and is expected to be out for between three to six weeks as his run of hard luck in the health department continues.
NO PAIN FOR BRINGER OF RAIN
Worries about a possible calf injury to Josh Donaldson were roundly dismissed on Thursday morning and perhaps proven on Friday afternoon.
Donaldson looked particularly sharp fielding a one-handed slow roller for an easy out and then went 1-for-3 at the plate in a 6-4 win over the Phillies.
As for the mysterious calf injury that Gibbons said was bothering him but Donaldson denies?
“It’s not an issue. I’m out there playing,” Donaldson said. “I’m just kind of working my way into (form for the season). I’m not really going too crazy right now … just trying to enjoy the weather.”
The Jays pounded out 14 hits against the Phillies, including a pair in four at-bats from Kendrys Morales, who was playing first and two more from DH Yangervis Solarte.
JAYS PROSPECT SUSPENDED
Blue Jays left-handed pitching prospect Thomas Pannone received an 80-game suspension without pay after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance De hydro ch lo rm ethyl testosterone( DH CM T ), MLB announced Friday. The ban for using the anabolic steroid will begin at the start of the 2018 regular season.
Pannone started six games at Double-A New Hampshire in 2017 after being acquired in a mid-season trade with the Cleveland Indians for reliever Joe Smith. The southpaw has a 3.16 earned-run average over 102 career minorleague games, including 76 starts, since being selected by Cleveland in the ninth round of the 2013 draft. The Jays optioned Pannone to Triple-A Buffalo earlier this week.