Gibbons talks with Osuna before game

Not long after Roberto Osuna walked out of the visitor’s dugout at the Rogers Centre on Monday night, his former manager John Gibbons wandered over for a big hello and a hug. The ugly details of his departure from the Blue Jays aside, Gibbons still has a soft spot for his former closer.

The embrace from his new team, the reigning World Series champion Houston Astros, wasn’t as quick to come around. Osuna is scheduled to appear in a Toronto courtroom Tuesday as his lawyer looks to resolve the charges he’s facing for assaulting a woman in Toronto in May. After serving a 75-day suspension for violation of MLB’s domestic violence policy, Osuna was dealt to the Astros July 30 for a package that included fellow closer Ken Giles.

“He’s been exceptional,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said before Monday’s opener of a three-game series at the Rogers Centre. “He’s been very, very good on the field. He’s been good in our clubhouse. He’s integrated onto our team as I expected him to.”

Hinch was put at ease in part by Gibbons, who spoke highly of the 23-year-old native of Sinaloa, Mexico. In a phone call shortly after the deal, Gibbons relayed as much as he could about Osuna’s baseball character and his upside in the clubhouse.

In 20 appearances with the Astros before Monday, Osuna was a perfect 9-for-9 in save situations with a 2.29 ERA. That work over 19.2 innings includes 18 strikeouts, welcome numbers for the 2017 World Series champions. “He’s a real good pitcher and he probably doesn’t get enough credit for how much he tries to pitch. Nasty slider, nasty breaking ball and a good fastball,” Hinch said.

“Osuna has all of that plus some pitchability.”