TORONTO — Devon Travis is hopeful he’s avoided significant damage after injuring his left shoulder during Monday night’s melee between the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees.
Travis was one of the first Blue Jays to rush into the fray and got his left arm caught in the commotion. He didn’t experience any pain at first, but when he took a pair of swings in his next at-bat he immediately felt discomfort in his left shoulder and was lifted from the game.
“I don’t even know what happened. I didn’t have any acute pain when I first got out of the scrum. My adrenalin was high. I walked up my next at-bat and took a swing and it was there,” Travis said. “It was scary because that swing I took was a little reminiscent of the one I took last year.”
Travis missed large swaths of the 2015 season due to inflammation in the shoulder caused by a pre-existing condition known as Os Acromiale. The 25-year-old had off-season surgery on the shoulder to insert screws intended to correct an acromion bone non-union and help relieve his discomfort. He missed the first 47 games of 2016 while recovering from the procedure.
Travis said X-rays confirmed the screws hadn’t been moved out of place during the dust up and that he’s optimistic he’s simply dealing with a “jammed” shoulder and not a re-aggravation of his prior injury. While he had trouble lifting his arm over his head Monday night, he said he had regained much of his range of motion on Tuesday and was encouraged by his progress.
“I was pretty scared last night. It wasn’t a fun injury to go through. And to have flashbacks of it was not good. But I can move my arm today. So, I’m definitely feeling better,” Travis said. “I just think today there’s no need to push it and come back tomorrow and be set back for three or four more days when maybe one day can do me some justice. I honestly probably just tweaked my shoulder. I guess that would be the best way to put it.”
Travis stayed away from baseball activities on Tuesday, receiving treatment throughout the day instead. He was scheduled to meet with a Blue Jays doctor early Tuesday evening to be reevaluated.
“We’re throwing the kitchen sink at him,” said Blue Jays head trainer George Poulis. “We’ll evaluate him each day to see if he can play. We’re definitely not going to hold him back if he’s ready. He can lift his arm. He has full function of it. There are just a few ranges of motion that are painful. But he’s feeling much better today.”
Travis has been an incredibly valuable hitter for the Blue Jays, batting .299/.331/.447 mostly out of the leadoff spot. Only losing Travis for a few days would be a massive boon for a Blue Jays team currently fighting for a playoff spot, especially considering his history of shoulder issues.
“I think that’s the biggest thing—that scare factor. That was a tough process for me,” Travis said. “Knowing that something’s there again it’s definitely a little concerning. But the fact that I feel better today than yesterday is something that’s encouraging for sure.
“I believe that I’ll be okay,” Travis continued. “We have six games left and the post-season hopefully. So, I’ll be in there. Somehow and someway, I’ll be in there.”
