GETTING INTO SHAPE
Ailing Jays on the mend
DUNEDIN, FLA. John Gibbons doesn’t have his pencil out just yet, but given some positive medical news of late, it may soon be time to sharpen it.
There are still plenty of questions remaining before the Toronto Blue Jays’ manager can fill out his opening day lineup card, but the options appear to be getting better by the day.
Let’s start with a pair of infield spots and the steady progress of two key bodies — third baseman Josh Donaldson and Devon Travis at second. On Friday, both players hit minor-league pitching for a third time this week and Donaldson appears days away from participating in Grapefruit League games.
Then there’s utility player Steve Pearce, whose recovery from off-season arm surgery has taken a big leap forward recently. One gets the impression Gibbons would love to peg the free-agent signee as his starting left-fielder if that arm can throw a baseball far enough and with the requisite strength.
“Day by day, I do a little more and it’s holding up,” said Pearce, who will soon be up to throwing 180 feet and is slated to play first base — his first action in the field — on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. “I can continue to add (distance) and I can keep throwing the baseball firm. Everything continues to go well.”
Pearce credits the Jays’ training staff for the consistent improvement since he started working with them shortly after agreeing to terms with his new team in December. The more success he has had, the more faith he has had in the program and believes he’s on track to make an early impact.
“You can’t help but to (have trust) when they tell you something and you’re feeling the benefits of it,” Pearce said. “It’s pretty easy to put all of your career in their hands.
“It’s just everything and it’s different than anything I’ve worked on. It’s staying flexible and using strict baseball muscles.”
Faced with the prospect of a platoon with light-hitting Melvin Upton Jr. and Ezequiel Carrera in left, Gibbons seems to favour Pearce and his bigger bat. The 33-year-old has been solid at the plate so far, going 5-for-18, including a couple of doubles this spring.
(Donaldson) is getting closer. We don’t want to put a date on it ... but we don’t think it’s too far off.
“I don’t see why not,” Gibbons said when asked if Pearce could play in left on opening day. “Everything (the medical staff ) tells you when he’s playing catch and stuff (points in the right direction). You don’t want to jump the gun and have a setback and he hasn’t done that.
“Hopefully we can get him a lot of at-bats this year. We think he can have a big year.”
Gibbons is hoping Sunday’s scheduled appearance at first will be a springboard for Pearce.
“It’s huge,” Gibbons said.
“He’s chomping at the bit. He’s ready to go. Once he does that, he’ll probably just take off. Then eventually we’ll get him out in the outfield a little bit too.”
With 13 pre-season games remaining (plus two split-squad affairs), the sooner potentially pivotal players return to health, the sooner Gibbons can look more seriously toward the April 3 curtain-raiser in Baltimore.
The progress of Donaldson and Travis has certainly been steady as well.
Donaldson was the talk of the clubhouse on Friday, specifically about the rocket he launched in a minor-league game the previous day.
Hitting into a sharp wind at the Jays’ Bobby Mattick complex, Donaldson blasted a shot to left field that was hit so far Travis said the Bringer of Rain was almost back in the dugout by the time the ball landed.
“It was impressive,” Travis said. “The wind was blowing really strong in and the ball just cut through it. It was something to see.”
Travis had his own significant step forward on Friday when he ran the bases on a back field at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium, a first this season.
While Donaldson is almost certain to be ready for the opener — barring a setback to his strained calf — Travis continues to move closer to game action himself.
“(Donaldson) is getting closer,” Gibbons said. “We don’t want to put a date on it in case it doesn’t happen, but we don’t think it’s too far off. He goes into the batting cage and he looks fine. It’s just a matter of running that’s the only thing hindering him right now.
“They’re moving in the right direction. We’ll see how it all shakes out.”