KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jose Bautista experienced a flare-up of soreness in his right shoulder after making throws in the outfield during the Blue Jays series in Chicago last week, which is now holding him out of next week’s all-star game.
“Listening to doctor’s recommendations, there’s some therapy and some rehab that needs to be done,” Bautista said before Sunday’s series finale against the Kansas City Royals. “It’s the smart thing to do for my health, for the end of the season and finishing up strong. So, that’s what I’m doing. I’m listening to the doctor.”
Bautista said the treatment he’ll be undergoing over the all-star break would have held him out of games for a “few days” if it occurred during the regular season. In late May, Bautista received a cortisone injection—he called it the “least invasive out of all the alternatives” for treating his shoulder injury at the time—which held him out of two games while the treatment settled in his shoulder.
On Sunday, Bautista refused to elaborate when asked what the treatment he’ll undergo over the all-star break will specifically entail. The evasiveness and terse tenor of the conversation is best relayed through transcript:
Reporter: What kind of specific treatments are you going to be undergoing?
Bautista: Medical treatments.
Reporter: Can you specify at all?
Bautista: No.
Reporter: Where is it going to be happening?
Bautista: Where I’m going to be at, which is yet to be determined.
Reporter: So, you won’t say yes or no to cortisone?
Bautista: I won’t say yes or no to cortisone.
The 32-year-old outfielder has been dealing with the shoulder injury since mid-April after he made an aggressive throw to first base during a confrontational game with the Baltimore Orioles. He initially sat out five games, before serving as the Blue Jays designated hitter for his next 29 starts. He resumed playing right field about a week after the cortisone injection when the Blue Jays travelled to Washington in early June for interleague play.
Bautista says the soreness in his shoulder now isn’t as bad as it was when he first injured it months ago, but that the demands of baseball’s rigorous schedule haven’t given him the chance to properly rehabilitate the injury. The upcoming four-day gap in the Blue Jays schedule presented a convenient opportunity to treat Bautista’s shoulder and ideally allow him to be effective for the remainder of the season.
“Ideally, with this rest and the treatment, it’ll be much better. So, that’s what I’m hoping for,” Bautista said. “I haven’t heard anything from a doctor saying that this is going to be a lingering issue. But it did come back after making a few throws in Chicago.”
Bautista said he was disappointed to be missing the all-star festivities in Cincinnati next week, but that undergoing treatment on his shoulder is the best thing to do for himself and the Blue Jays.
“Obviously, it’s not what I wanted to do. I enjoy my time going [to the all-star game.] It’s something that my family and my friends get to enjoy as well. I already had people book flights and everything,” Bautista said. “But you’ve got to think about your health first, and your team also. You’ve got to put it on the first plane in making the decision. I think if it’s better for me as a person, it’s probably best for the team as well.”