Osuna fighting an off-field battle
Blue Jays’ ace reliever sidelined by anxiety issues: ‘I’m lost a little bit right now’
When he’s at his best, Roberto Osuna gives the impression that he is as sharp mentally as he his physically, required tools of the trade for one of baseball’s best relief pitchers.
But life has become significantly more complicated for the talented 22-year-old Blue Jays reliever as he grapples with issues that go far beyond his ability to throw a 97 mile per hour fastball from a pitcher’s mound.
Osuna on Saturday revealed he’s been bogged down by feelings of anxiousness over the past week, tricks playing so deep in his mind he was unavailable to pitch when the Jays found themselves in a ninth-inning jam here on Friday night.
While fans wondered why the clutch closer sat in the dugout, Osuna had much deeper worries to untangle.
“I feel a little bit anxious, a little bit weird,” Osuna said through team translator Josue Peley before Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Royals in the second of a three-game weekend series. “I feel like I’m not myself right now. I feel great physically. It’s just more mentally.
“I really don’t know how to explain it,. “I just feel anxious. I feel like I’m lost a little bit right now.”
The admission was the latest bombshell to hit the Jays and a development that came as a surprise given Osuna’s stellar work of late, a run of 18 consecutive successful saves, the longest active streak in the major leagues.
When he was unavailable to work the ninth on Friday — and the Jays gave up four runs with two out to lose 5-4 — suddenly Osuna became a huge focus surrounding the Jays.
While manager John Gibbons was understandably tight-lipped about the situation following Friday’s devastating loss, it was revealed on Saturday that his young bullpen gun has had these feelings of anxiousness for a number of days.
“He’s been up an down the last few days,” a team source told Postmedia. “We will help him work through this. The first thing is finding out exactly what the issue is. We just don’t know at this point.”
The challenge is first diagnosing what exactly is going on with Osuna before finding ways to treat him. The team didn’t want to comment officially until that happens, but assistant general manager Tony LaCava had a conversation with the native of Sinaloa, Mexico on the field before Saturday’s game.
One thing is certain, the Jays are determined to do right by Osuna, who last week become the youngest player in major league history to record 75 career saves.
Obviously, feelings of anxiousness or fear or a serious concern for a pitcher asked to throw heat in the most pressure-packed moments of a ball game, often before loud, sellout crowds. Any issues Osuna has dealing with such stress need to be addressed promptly and properly to ensure that his mind is healthy as that powerful right arm.
According to a source, during Friday’s game Osuna volunteered to get ready in the ninth as things were about to implode on his team. That speaks to his competitive nature.
But having spent much of the game in the dugout rather than the bullpen and given his situation, Gibbons and his staff did the right thing and kept him out of action, well aware of the potential consequences on that night’s box score.
And sure enough, the Jays immediately felt the sting when the Royals scored four runs with two out in the bottom of the ninth.
On Saturday, the soft-spoken Osuna was calm when he met with a handful of reporters in the Jays clubhouse, but also at a loss for what’s been dragging him down.
“I wish I knew how to get out of here and how to get out of this,” Osuna said. “We’re working on it.”