TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays expect Devon Travis to be back in the lineup Wednesday after the second baseman received a cortisone shot to help with a ligament issue on the third knuckle of his right hand.
Manager John Gibbons said Travis wasn’t sure how the injury occurred but it’s not considered serious.
General manager Ross Atkins also played down the injury.
"I think Devon will be fine," he said. "Devon’s strong and tough so I think he will be ready to go (Wednesday)."
Darwin Barney batted leadoff and played second in his absence.
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BAUTISTA RETURN LOOMS: Jose Bautista (left knee sprain) took some at-bats in a simulated game Tuesday and is on track for a return Thursday, when he’s first eligible to be activated from the disabled list.
The plan is for the star slugger to play in another simulated game Wednesday before a final decision is made.
"We want him to drive (the process), so based on how he feels and how many at-bats he’d like to get," said Ross Atkins. "As of now it will most likely be (only) simulated games, just because of our confidence in him and his ability to return into this pace better than most, and secondarily, wanting to control as much of it as we can."
John Gibbons said once Bautista returns, he’ll like see more action at DH to ease the toll on his knee, with Melvin Upton Jr., getting more time in the outfield.
"We need him, we need him back," Gibbons said of Bautista.
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DONALDSON STEPS UP: Josh Donaldson’s second BaseBOWL event, a charity bowling tournament held Monday night, raised in excess of $100,000 for Jays Care and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto.
The choice of charity is was an obvious one for Donaldson, whose childhood was touched by domestic violence. His father, Levon, served 15 years in prison on assault, battery and drug charges.
"I didn’t use Big Brothers Big Sisters but I like the idea of it, I like that they’re helping kids out," he said in a recent interview. "I think it would have been cool with how I was growing up if there was something that was available for that."
Donaldson said he’s received letters from people helped by the money raised from last year’s event and "to be able to help people out, especially with all the support we get in Toronto, it’s nice that I can help and give back to Toronto as well.
"When I was in Oakland, right before I got traded, I was actually working on trying to do something there and then when I got traded over, I still wanted to do something," he added. "I just had to find the right thing. I wanted to do a golf tournament but there’s way too many golf tournaments out there so bowling, it’s good and it’s a more intimate environment."
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SO LONG SAL: The Blue Jays confirmed Tuesday that minor-league pitching coach Sal Fasano has been fired as minor-league pitching co-ordinator.
The move is the fourth in the club’s player development and scouting departments and the pace of change is expected to ease now.
The highly regarded Fasano joined the Blue Jays system as manager of single-A Lansing in 2010 after a 16-year pro catching career that included 16 games with Toronto in 2007.
He was the double-A Eastern League’s manager of the year in 2011 after leading New Hampshire to a championship. He later served as the system’s roving catching instructor before taking over as pitching co-ordinator before the 2015 season.
