Injured Travis still a good teammate

Wondering how Devon Travis is dealing with his latest significant injury setback? The hard-luck Blue Jays second baseman sums it up in just three words.

“I’ll be back,” Travis said following Wednesday’s 4-0 Jays win at the Rogers Centre.

Travis in an all-too-familiar situation. Injured, watching his Blue Jays teammates from the dugout when the games start to matter most.

While the stretch run of the 2017 season hasn’t quite arrived, the Blue Jays find themselves amid a crucial portion of their schedule that could very well determine whether a third consecutive playoff berth remains attainable. And, once again, Travis isn’t available. Another surgery on the same knee (his third surgery in as many seasons) forced him to the 60-day disabled list last week.

How is Travis getting through the latest setback? The only way he knows how.

“When you’re gone, the best thing you can do is do your best to be a good teammate and just being here in the dugout, it’s nice,” Travis said in the Jays’ clubhouse postgame.

The young second baseman’s storied injury history has been a tough pill to swallow, especially for Travis. He finds solace, however, in being able to help his teammates out in whatever way he can.

“Being able to slap hands when they come in the dugout, any questions, or anything I can ever help with, it’s nice to be around.”

Over the course of his career, the 26-year-old has missed 213 of a possible 486 regular season games (44 per cent). The injuries that plague Travis have taught him to appreciate how fortunate he’s been in the grand scheme of things.

“We’re so lucky and blessed to call this our job that subtle reminders when you get hurt and you’re away from the game, they definitely smack you on the back a little bit … When you’re away from the game, you really get to see and you really get to feel how much you love the game and how much the game really impacts your life,” Travis added.

Despite the setbacks so far in his career, Travis has tried to remain optimistic throughout the rehabilitation process, but can’t help feeling annoyed at times.

“You know, it’s frustrating, it (rehab) actually just seems to get more and more frustrating every time you do it … it doesn’t really get easier in the sense of dealing with it, but it does get easier in the sense of making a comeback for sure.”