Bautista reveals body of evidence
Jays slugger downplays fears about back injury and plans to play Friday
DUNEDIN, FLA.— Jose Bautista stood before the gathered media here Wednesday morning looking very much a tower of strength, in his first appearance at Jays camp since his native Dominican Republic bowed out of the World Baseball Classic.
There was some doubt about Bautista’s health, though, after missing some WBC action with a stiff back and then sitting out Wednesday’s 5-4 win by the Jays over the Detroit Tigers — capped by minor leaguer Shane Opitz’s three-run walkoff homer.
Bautista tried to quiet those concerns.
“No, I’m good. I’m feeling great,” said Bautista, who didn’t take batting practice either on Wednesday. “It was a stiff lower back, but with a day off (Thursday) I talked to the training staff today and we decided it makes no sense to crank it up for one day. . . . I’ll get back into the lineup Friday.”
A healthy Bautista is crucial to the Jays’ plans to return to the post-season for a third consecutive year. At 36 years old, he’s utilizing the Jays’ sports sciences division — on the cutting edge when it comes to nutrition and recovery — as well as a leading personal trainer and might enter the season more fit than at any other time in his career.
Arm and toe injuries that cost him about two months combined over the past two seasons occurred during game action and had nothing to do with a lack of fitness. He said the back problem from the Classic is not 100 per cent healed, but added he could play every day if the season started now.
“I didn’t just pull myself out (of Saturday’s WBC game). We talked to the manager and the training staff there and it was a mutual decision,” Bautista said. “With so many good players around on our (Dominican Republic) team, you don’t want to play at 50 per cent. It was a good decision in hindsight, for the (tournament) and for the regular season in Toronto.
“It happens to anyone — in the offseason, during the season. It made no sense to push through it with so many good players on hand there. Probably about 90 or 95 per cent of the time you’re playing with lingering health issues. That’s just something you learn to play with in the big leagues.”
Bautista was one of the hottest hitters at the Classic: 6-for-18 with a homer, five RBIs and a .935 on-base plus slugging mark. He was also off to a hot start with the Jays early in spring training.
“My body felt good, my arm was good, and now I’m excited to be back with the guys and I’m looking forward to the season,” he said.
“We know what the roster was going to look like. It’s just that we were all in different locations, at the WBC and at spring training. Our goal is to stay healthy and play hard, the same things we did the past two seasons, but hopefully this season we’ll get deeper into the playoffs.”
Josh Donaldson, who missed the start of the exhibition season with a calf muscle injury, started at third base in Wednesday’s win. The 2015 MVP finished 0-for-1with a walk and recorded a putout at third.
After testing the leg — in particular, running hard out of the batter’s box on a ground ball — Donaldson said he felt good.
“I exploded out of the box today — the first two or three steps — and I was thinking about it . . . and it felt fine, so I’m happy about that,” Donaldson said, adding that he’s not concerned about his lack of at-bats this spring ( just five so far).
“Going into the season, I’ll be ready,” he said. “The hitting, it’s different in the regular season. There’s more intensity than in spring training. I’m not concerned about it. When the games start in the regular season, it’s a different thing.”