DUNEDIN, Fla. – A recurrence of the blister issues that Aaron Sanchez struggled with last year has the defending American League ERA champion feeling frustrated, although he’s confident it won’t keep him from making his season debut next week.
"I’m not worried. It’s two weeks away," he said in a brief interview Tuesday, during which he described the matter as "irrelevant. Pop the blood blister, find a way to harden it up, find a way to get the nail right."
Sanchez is due to pitch in a minor-league game this weekend in his final outing before the season. He’s schedule to pitch April 8 at Tropicana Field against the Tampa Bay Rays and when asked if Sanchez’s timeline might be impacted, manager John Gibbons was less certain.
"We’ll see," he replied. "It looks a heck of a lot better today, that’s for sure. It’s tender so in the next couple of days we’ll have a better idea. He’s dealt with it in the past. It’s unfortunate, but maybe he’s one of those guys that deals with it his whole career."
The blister on Sanchez’s right middle finger burst during his 3.1 innings of work Monday night against the Philadelphia Phillies. Last year, he and the training staff worked to contain the issues starting in the spring, as his middle finger was vulnerable to blistering in an area known as a hot spot, sometimes developing into a blister that needed to be managed.
Monday’s occurrence was the first of the spring for Sanchez, and left him particularly disappointed.
"You think you have a handle on it before spring training and it’s like, come on man," he said. "I don’t know what else to do. I’ve tried to cut the nail, I’ve tried to cut the skin, I’ve tried to let the nail grow, I’ve tried to harden it. It’s at the point where just roll with the punches and whatever comes you just handle.
"That’s where I’m at with it. No worries. I’ll figure it out."
[snippet id=3305549]
ROSTER CALLS REMAINING: Pitchers Tim Mayza, Casey Lawrence, Chad Girodo, Jeff Beliveau and Leonel Campos were among the cuts announced Tuesday, and the final calls for the bullpen "probably" won’t be made until after the team’s games in Montreal this weekend, said Gibbons.
As for the position players, Gibbons said those decisions were "pretty set" but an announcement won’t come just yet.
"You never know what happens before a season starts," said Gibbons. "There could be some changes. I don’t expect any of that, but you don’t want to jump the gun, either. …
"It’s one of those formalities, we’ll just wait until the end.
Ryan Goins, who is out of options, and perhaps Melvin Upton are thought to be on the bubble. Their fates had been tied in part to the health of Steve Pearce and Devon Travis.
Pearce has made a couple of appearances in left field and Gibbons said he’s confident he’s ready to play there during the season.
"It doesn’t mean he’s going to be out there but he feels fine," said Gibbons. "He got one ball (Monday) night, I don’t know if that’s a true judge, but he’s done it before. We’re not worried about that at all. We were just waiting to see if he was healthy and everything indicates he is."
Travis, meanwhile, continues to impress Gibbons: "That first play of the game … he ranged far up the middle, made a heck of a play. Things like that tell you he’s pretty good."
[relatedlinks]
CONCERN FOR OSUNA?: Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna didn’t quite look like his dominant self Monday night against the Phillies, but Gibbons tried to ease concerns.
The right-hander hadn’t faced big-league hitters since March 12 at the World Baseball Classic.
"He needs a little more work," said Gibbons. "He’s had that stiff neck, stiff back that’s prevented him from going out there but I think he’s going to be fine. We need him to be good, no doubt about it, but I’m not concerned about it."
Osuna is slated to pitch again Wednesday and during one of the two games in Montreal this weekend. After that, "he should be good to go," Gibbons insisted.