Jays SS Reyes out until all-star break
The Blue Jays may have won the game on Friday night in Kansas City, but if ever there was a sporting definition of a pyrrhic victory, this was it.
The Jays won that battle but ultimately may have lost the war, as during that 8-4 victory their most important player, shortstop Jose Reyes, was lost for up to three months with a devastating injury.
From day one of spring training, it was clear the one player the Jays could least afford to lose from their revamped, ready-to-compete 2013 roster was Reyes, their all-star leadoff man.
A nightmare scenario of life without Reyes became painful reality on Friday at Kauffman Stadium after Reyes injured his left ankle in an ugly, awkward slide at second base caused by indecision. He thought there was a foul ball. He usually goes in headfirst. Amid tears of pain and frustration, Reyes’ ankle was immobilized and he was carted off the field. Teammates were stunned.
The report following an MRI in Kansas City is that Reyes has a badly sprained ankle that at the moment will not require surgery. The estimate, if all goes well, is that the star shortstop will not be available until after the all-star break in mid-July.
Not only is Reyes the best defender on the team at his position, he is the type of prototypical leadoff batter the Jays have been missing for years, maybe since Otis Nixon — and Nixon pales by comparison. Reyes brought a passion and joy to the clubhouse that resulted, ultimately, in a similar focus to Jose Bautista once the game started, giving young Jays two role models to emulate at complete opposite ends of the leadership spectrum. And just as the Jays sorely missed Bautista when he was absent and rehabbing in the second half last season, so will they miss Reyes when he leaves to rehab his injury.
Where do the Jays go from here? For the moment, Bautista has offered his services as a third baseman, at which he is above average, but he is also the Jays’ right fielder of the present and future and Rajai Davis is less than adequate as an everyday outfielder.
The first thing GM Alex Anthopoulos must do, then, is accelerate his timeline for third baseman Brett Lawrie, who finally returned to game action on Thursday in Dunedin, Fla., after a slow rehab of his injured left oblique. Lawrie suffered the injury March 6 in Phoenix and surprised people, negatively, with the amount of time it took for him to return to playing in a game.
Lawrie suffered a similar injury to his right side in 2012, attempted to play through the pain and then likely attempted to come back too soon. He reached the point this year where he preferred to be careful, as he explained, waiting until his left side felt just like his right. The Jays will place their baseball order from the only menu available, and are hoping two good sides come with their order, even if they have to pay a premium in terms of patience as Lawrie’s timing works its way back to normal — at the major-league level.
Lawrie’s promotion will solidify the third-base defence, which has been a problem with Maicer Izturis and Mark DeRosa demonstrating for 10 days how good Law- rie actually is at the position. Bautista would be able to go back to the outfield and Davis can resume his status as a part-time DH and explosive weapon off the bench. As for shortstop, after the trading of Yunel Escobar and Adeiny Hechavarria to the Marlins, the Jays have few options at the position within the organization. Mike McCoy is a utility player. Young Ryan Goins showed at spring training that he is not at the level where he can be trusted defensively on a day-to-day basis. The Jays decided the best option was Munenori Kawasaki, signed as free agent on March 14, and he was called up from Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday. Kawasaki, 31, a fan favourite because of his Reyes-like attitude (not ability) toward the game, played 61 games for the Mariners in 2012, 39 at shortstop. He is a defender, winning a couple of Gold Gloves in the Japanese major leagues. But offensively, despite good baserunning speed, he is inadequate in the long term. On a visit to the Mattick training centre in Dunedin this spring, I saw Kawasaki in a game and he carried himself like a man among boys, as though he knew he could still play at the next level. He hit .400 in two games at Buffalo.
So where does Anthopoulos look for help, which he admits he is doing? Television images showed him on the phone in a press-level private box at Kauffman Stadium. He has his go-to GMs and there are some players out there with other teams who could help until Reyes returns. He said he’s looking for defence first.
A quick survey of shortstops with major-league experience who could be available includes Mike Aviles (Indians), John McDonald (Pirates), Yuniesky Betancourt (Brewers), Jonathan Herrera (Rockies), Ramiro Pena (Braves), Cesar Izturis (Reds) and, in what would be a bold move, the demoted Dee Gordon of the Dodgers.
In the meantime, the Jays can survive the injury to Reyes if other players in the batting order — Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Adam Lind, Colby Rasmus and Lawrie — step up offensively. What they need more than anything out of shortstop is the defence to allow the starting pitching to find its stride.
It has come to pass that the most difficult man to replace in the batting order now needs to be replaced. Successfully bridging the timeline until Reyes returns will be Anthopoulos’ most difficult challenge. Despite the stunning loss of Reyes, there is no excuse for not contending, even with General Pyrrhus leading the charge.