Brett Lawrie is aiming to return to the MLB “in the near future” and admits a second stint with the Toronto Blue Jays is something that piques his interest.
“No doubt I would love to be back in this city,” Lawrie told Sportsnet’s Starting Lineup in studio Friday morning. “This is kind of where I made my name…This is a great place for me. I made a lot of good friends and this is where I started my life and my career, so for me I’d love to be back.”
The Langley, B.C., native was a fan favourite in Toronto for four seasons before being traded to the Oakland Athletics in November 2014 as part of the deal saw the Blue Jays acquire Josh Donaldson.
“I love the city. I love the fans. I love the Blue Jays, too,” Lawrie said. “It’s a great organization. They’ve got a lot of great people there and they’ve been nothing but good to me and my family up until this far. I would love to be back. Hopefully, maybe at some point. You never know what can happen but definitely could be a thing.”
Lawrie spent the full 2015 campaign with Oakland before being traded to the Chicago White Sox. He hit .248 with 12 homers and 36 RBIs in 94 games with the White Sox in 2016 but dealt with leg injuries throughout the year. According to Lawrie, his leg issues stemmed from his use of orthotics.
Lawrie was released by the White Sox on March 3 and hasn’t played a game in 2017. Two days after his release reports surfaced indicating the Blue Jays were among the teams potentially interested in his services.
For the time being, the 27-year-old free agent is focused on getting back to full health.
“I’ve been going and doing rehab every single day and working out” Lawrie said. “For me, I know how my body feels and in spring training it was feeling a certain way and still continuing to feel some of the symptoms that I felt from the previous season…From where I was in spring training to where I am now I feel a lot better. Just being athletic again, being able to move.”
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More than the rehab itself, Lawrie said the most difficult part about being sidelined is not being able to put a specific timeline on his return.
“The thing about this is it’s been a slow process and that’s tough for me because I’m a guy that likes to see results. I’m a guy that likes getting back to doing what I’m doing and this thing’s been a tough ticket,” he said. “I really want to get out there and play but I know how my body feels.
“Nobody wants to acquire what I have going on right now. You want Brett Lawrie with his hair on fire coming to play for you and nothing but that. You don’t want anything other than that because it’s not that much fun and nor do I want to keep explaining this story to your training staff and have you guys figure this out for me. I’m gonna get this right and then when you get me back you’ll get the original me.”
