DUNEDIN, Fla. – Michael Saunders woke up Saturday morning and could hardly believe the way he felt. He got out of bed easily, and he walked around freely. Shortly after he arrived in the Toronto Blue Jays clubhouse, he began strength and mobility exercises on a left knee from which 60 percent of the meniscus was surgically removed less than 24 hours earlier. Aside from some pain he likened to the feeling of banging a knee into a pole, all was shockingly close to normal.
"Day 1 and we’re already doing this – I’m walking around on my own power," he marvelled on a miserably grey and rainy Saturday. "This is a great day for me."
The juxtaposition of Saunders walking comfortably out of the Blue Jays clubhouse to meet with media Saturday versus his emergence on crutches to complete the same task Thursday was remarkable.
Understandably he was sullen earlier this week – "an emotional wreck," is how he put it – when the initial diagnosis of the freak meniscus tear he suffered stepping on a soft spot Wednesday was that he’d be out until the all-star break.
The Blue Jays initially encouraged him to repair the tear, which requires a longer recovery period. Then he started doing some research, got a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews, and began leaning toward removing the damaged cartilage from his knee, which carries a shorter recovery period but also possible complications later on in life.
Before going under the knife, he had a long chat with team orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Steven Mirabello about his options. Ultimately, Saunders instructed him "to make sure he made his professional opinion once he got in, and either way I was going to be happy with getting it repaired, if that’s ethically what he thought was in my best interest, not only as a baseball player but as a human being as well."
"At first everyone was trying to talk me into repairing it, just due to my age, due to never having knee problems before, thinking about my future as a human being more than selfishly as a baseball player," said Saunders.
"For me, this is by far the best-case scenario," he added later. "I love where I am today considering what had to happen and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure I’m ready to go."
The sudden shift means Saunders should be back by mid-April, if not sooner, which significantly changes things for the Blue Jays, although they still reached agreement on a minor-league deal with Dayan Viciedo on Saturday night.
Manager John Gibbons earlier in the day said the team still plans to experiment with Danny Valencia in left field this spring – “you never know what’s going to happen,” he explained – and now they’ll have Viciedo to evaluate, too.
More important, however, is that the bigger issues linked to Saunders’ absence – lost production, lack of depth, removal of an impact left-handed bat from a right-leaning lineup – are now muted.
"Good news, huh?" said Gibbons, echoing a general feeling around the team. "That’s big."
Saunders’ path back to the lineup will be defined by how quickly he progresses.
Within two weeks he could be running, in three or four weeks he may resume baseball activities and then it will be a matter of regaining his timing from there.
"That’s the other thing we have to take into consideration, I’m not going to come back earlier than I’m ready to, I’m not going to finish my spring training in a major-league game, that wouldn’t be fair to the guys and to the team, to have me ready still trying to get ready," said Saunders. "I don’t know the exact number of at-bats, it’s when I’m comfortable but it’s not that many, I’m good within 30-40 at-bats. If all goes well, I’m hoping to get some spring training games near the end under my belt."
The expectation is that Saunders should be able to play his game as usual – one that includes speed on the bases – once he returns, but Gibbons at this point is unsure whether caution will be needed early.
Everyone, not just the player, will have to respond to the way Saunders’ body reacts.
Still, Saunders is by no means complaining, even with risks for early onset Arthritis and perhaps the need for a knee replacement later in his life. Repairing the meniscus, if that had been an option, offered no guarantees, either.
"I was hearing 60-40 (for the chances of success), and I would have no problem betting 10 bucks in Vegas but I’m not betting my life and my career with those odds," said Saunders. "This was absolutely the best decision."