BY MIKE CORMACK
sportsnet.ca
Brett Lawrie’s performance could no longer be ignored.
Neither could Travis Snider’s.
Moments after suffering a heartbreaking 7-6 defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays in 12 innings Thursday, the Toronto Blue Jays called up Canadian third base prospect Brett Lawrie from triple-A Las Vegas and sent struggling outfielder Travis Snider down there in his place.
The Lawrie move came as no surprise.
In 292 at-bats this season with the Las Vegas 51s, the 21-year-old posted a line of .353/.415/.661 with 18 home runs, 61 RBIs, 24 doubles, six triples and 13 stolen bases. He was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers on Dec. 6 2010 in a trade for Shaun Marcum.
Lawrie appeared close to earning a promotion in early June before being hit on the hand by a pitch on May 31, suffering a non-displaced fracture in his hand.
Following a brief rehab stint with single-A Dunedin, he was promoted back to Las Vegas on July 18 and is now set to make his major league debut with the Blue Jays Friday night in Baltimore against the Orioles.
With Lawrie starting at third base, Jose Bautista will move back to right field and Eric Thames will play left.
"We wanted to find out about Brett Lawrie sooner than later and get him some August at-bats to get more of a read on him," Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said in a conference call. "Hopefully now with Brett, it’s one of those things that he can be up here to stay for the entire year."
As for Snider? Despite his recent struggles, few expected the 23-year-old would be the odd man out a little over a month after being recalled himself from Las Vegas.
At the time, Jays manager John Farrell said "we have to stick with him," when asked if Snider was still in danger of another demotion should he struggle again.
"That was not an easy decision to make," Anthopoulos said. "It really came down to between Eric Thames and Travis. If you had asked me a month and a half ago perhaps, potentially Edwin Encarnacion may have been moved to the bench."
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After struggling for much of the first half of the season, Encarnacion has been one of the hottest hitters in the league over the past month, putting up a line of .347/.440/.597 over the past 28 days.
The Blue Jays own a club option on the 28-year-old for 2012 worth a $3.5-million and Anthopoulos said the team would like to continue to evaluate him before making a decision.
As for the young outfielders, Snider has hit .256/.259/.410/with 27 strikeouts in 78 at-bats over the past 28 days, while the 24-year-old Thames has his .269/.306/.462 with 17 strikeouts in an identical number of at-bats over the same period.
"Player performance is really what it came down to," said Anthopoulos, adding the move had nothing to do with Snider reverting to old swing habits. "Both players we see as having a chance to be here long term and be a part of this core. Travis will go down, he'll get hot and when either somebody gets hurt or their performance slips, he'll be back up here."
Having already been demoted once earlier this season, Snider told reporters following Thursday’s game he was disappointed, but understands the decision.
"I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t frustrated when these things kind of things happen, but when you put it all in perspective, it’s not a decision I control," he said. "I can play better and that’s the bottom line."
Snider also posted the following message on Twitter Thursday evening: "Extending my love to all the fans, friends, and family who are sticking by me through this journey. Thank u all for ur support #keepthefaith"
The Blue Jays have also recalled left-hander Luis Perez from Las Vegas and placed right-hander Carlos Villanueva on the 15-day disabled list.
