PHILADELPHIA – The Toronto Blue Jays have closed the book on a potential return for Michael Saunders, shutting down the outfielder as he continues to recover from an unlucky and unlikely step on a practice field sprinkler head during spring training.
Saunders underwent knee surgery to remove the torn meniscus from his left knee back in February after his accident, suffered while chasing down a fly ball, and while he returned to play nine games, he was never fully recovered and returned to the disabled list May 10 with a bone bruise.
The Blue Jays hoped he might be ready to play off the bench in September, but he continues to have issues in his knee, leading to the decision.
"It’s still aggravated and he’s running out of time," manager John Gibbons said Tuesday. "That’s too bad."
Saunders was acquired over the winter from the Seattle Mariners for J.A. Happ. He made $2.875 million this season and is eligible for arbitration again before hitting the open market next year.
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HUTCH DOWN: Coming off perhaps his most important start of the season, 6.2 innings of one-run ball in Sunday’s 3-1 win over the New York Yankees, Drew Hutchison had reason to feel good about how things were going for him.
Then came Monday’s option to triple-A Buffalo, and word that he’ll start Sunday for the Bisons before returning to the Blue Jays to start Aug. 29 against the Detroit Tigers. John Gibbons says it wasn’t an easy decision but "with all the off-days, we had to do it. You never want to send anybody out that’s a main part of your team, anyway, but the schedule dictated that."
Starting Monday, the Blue Jays had three off-days over a span of 11 days, allowing them to use a four-man rotation for their road trip to Philadelphia, Anaheim and Texas. That, combined with his pronounced home-road splits, led to the decision.
"He’s a part of this, he’s not a guy that’s been up and down, but with all the off-days we want to keep those other guys rolling," explained Gibbons. "And he’s struggled on the road, let’s face it. But I’ve got a good feeling he’s over that hump now and once he comes back he’ll run it the rest of the way. He was really good at the end of last year, so we think he’s going to be that way again this year."
The Blue Jays also optioned Aaron Loup on Sunday, and added two position players in Ezequiel Carrera and Matt Hague.
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TRAVIS NEEDS MORE TIME: Devon Travis, out since July 29 with a left shoulder injury, has yet to resume swinging while rehabbing at Dunedin, Fla., and there’s no timeline for his return.
"Slower than we thought, I’ll put it that way," is how John Gibbons described his progress. "I wouldn’t expect him anytime soon."
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REVERE RETURNS: Ben Revere, the last of five players the Blue Jays acquired before the trade deadline, returned to Citizens Bank Park to face the Philadelphia Phillies, his former team for the first time.
The deal sent him from the basement to a club in post-season contention.
"It’s been a fun little ride the past few weeks," he said. "We have a really good lineup, I’m making the adjustment going to a new league, facing new pitchers and everything, especially batting ninth, being the second lead-off guy, making that adjustment and everything, it’s been great. They brought me in and welcomed me."
