TORONTO – Michael Saunders is counting on a combination of getting fluid drained, a cortisone shot, and some rest to ease the stiffness in his surgically repaired left knee and get him back playing regularly for the Toronto Blue Jays.
The outfielder was out of the starting lineup Tuesday against the New York Yankees, and manager John Gibbons said he hoped to rest Saunders on Wednesday as well leading into Thursday’s off-day as a way to let the Tuesday’s treatments take.
After being hobbled all weekend in Cleveland, Saunders reported some gains in his knee, although the real test of his progress begins once he returns to action.
“Basically excess fluid is your body’s way of defending an area that’s been worked on in the past,” he said. “That was causing a lot of pressure and it wasn’t giving me much movement, and in turn, as you can tell, it was just hampering me.
“It was something I was trying to play through but as soon as we took it out it was instant relief. Now we’re just giving it a couple of days and then hopefully hit the ground running.”
Saunders has played in eight games since returning from his knee injury, suffered in a freak accident during spring training. Though he went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk in his last outing Sunday, he moved with a noticeable limp against the Indians that badly limited his range in the field.
“I didn’t know if you could tell,” Saunders quipped.
The fluid buildup in his knee was “to be expected” after the ramp up in his physical activity, he said, and the cortisone shot would “help in the process.”
“We’re hoping this isn’t just a band-aid to get me through a little bit,” Saunders continued, “we’re hoping that this is the end of it.”
With Saunders getting rest and Danny Valencia unavailable after turning his ankle when his cleat got caught in a floor drain after Monday night’s 3-1 win, the Blue Jays brought up slugger Chris Colabello from triple-A Buffalo.
Colabello, who can play first base and the outfield, was off to a torrid start with the Bisons, slashing .337/.421/.554 with five homers and 18 RBIs in 23 games.
—
EXPOSED UP THE MIDDLE: The Blue Jays optioned Jonathan Diaz to make room for Chris Colabello, leaving the team without a backup middle infielder on the 25-man roster.
That meant third baseman Josh Donaldson was the emergency shortstop, and with Danny Valencia also unavailable, Russell Martin was the contingency plan at the hot corner.
The situation is unsustainable for long, which is why infielder Steve Tolleson’s outright assignment to triple-A Buffalo after he cleared waivers was important for the Blue Jays. There’s a chance he joins the team by Friday’s series opener against the Boston Red Sox.
—
REYES IMPROVING: A week of rest for his cracked left rib and strained oblique has Jose Reyes feeling so good he asked trainer George Poulis if he could swing the bat Tuesday.
“That’s just me talking, we’re not going to do that, we’re going to wait for the results of the MRI and go from there,” said Reyes. “It’s way better. The week I’ve been off, the soreness has gone down a lot. I can tell that moving around, doing some stuff in the weight room this is coming along. That’s good to see.”
The Blue Jays are planning an MRI for Reyes later this week to determine exactly how much progress he’s made and to plot his next steps.
“My big concern is going to be the muscle,” he said. “With the bone, I don’t think that was the big issue. It’s an issue when you have a crack in your ribs but when you have on top of that a little strain in your oblique, people know how difficult an oblique injury can be. … If the muscle is coming along that’s going to be great news.”
Reyes is eligible for activation May 13, although there’s no clear timeline for his return.