Tulowitzki hits back
Troy reminds Jays of their mistake
TAMPA — Troy Tulowitzki had circled the date. Last December, the Blue Jays had told him they didn’t believe he could get back on the field after major surgery on both his heels. Monday, Tulowitzki homered on his first swing of spring training, against the Blue Jays.
“That was definitely extra, extra special,” Tulowitzki said. “That was the team that basically told me I couldn’t play anymore. It is spring training. It is what it is, it was a big day for myself.”
Tulowitzki’s fly ball off Marcus Stroman landed in the right-field stands. The 34-year old shortstop screamed as he rounded first base. He jawed as he ran the bases, looking directly into the Blue Jays’ dugout.
“I play with emotions. I care a lot about this game. I put a lot of work in the rehab, I think all that rehab I was doing and all the hours I put in trying to come back from my surgery,” Tulowitzki said. “There were a lot of people who said forget about it, it’s one day. (But) those people said I would never make it back on a baseball field again. For me, it was extra emotion.
“It was the biggest spring training homer I ever hit,” Tulowitzki continued. “With that being said, yeah I got a little pumped out there. (Against) anybody who tells you, ‘you are done,’ you are going to have a little extra fire.”
If he makes it through spring training after almost a year and a half on the shelf, and makes the team, he will get 19 games to show the Jays how wrong they were.
It’s still a long ways to go.
Tulowitzki has played in just 66 games since 2016. Since he was traded from the Rockies to the Blue Jays in 2015, Tulowitzki had a dramatic drop in production. In 238 games with the Blue Jays he slashed .250/.313/.414 with 36 home runs and 122 RBI.
After a rash of nagging injuries, Tulowitzki’s 2017 season was ended in gruesome fashion. He broke his ankle, landing on another player’s foot while trying to beat out an infield single. He recovered from the broken ankle and ligament tear, but last spring he needed surgery to remove bone spurs from both heels.
Just before cutting Tulowitzki in December, Toronto GM Ross Atkins said “he will have to overachieve to play shortstop at an above-average level with above-average offensive performance for 140 games” and that “would be unlikely based on what has occurred in the last two and a half years.”
The Blue Jays are responsible for the $38 million left on Tulowitzki’s contract, while the Yankees pay him the majorleague minimum to try out as the fill-in as Didi Gregorius rehabs from Tommy John surgery.
And he is easing his way back, needing two days off between spring training games at this point.
“Again, we’re a long way from this thing playing out and seeing how he responds to everything, but the one thing we’ve been looking at is a healthy player,” Aaron Boone said. “To go out to throw that at-bat out there the first time. And then handle a couple plays ... happy for him, because I know this day was a big deal.”