TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays will look to Steve Delabar and Brett Cecil to help cover in the late innings for Darren Oliver, who was placed on the disabled list Friday with a left shoulder strain.
The 42-year-old left-hander is currently in shutdown mode after receiving a cortisone shot and won’t have a sense of when he might return until he resumes throwing in a couple of days.
With Sergio Santos already recovering from shoulder surgery, losing Oliver removes another key late-inning option from manager John Gibbons’ arsenal. It’s far from ideal, but the Blue Jays will have to make do.
“I was hoping it would go away but it just wasn’t feeling right when I was out there pitching, I didn’t want to keep going through that,” said Oliver, who last took the mound May 18 at Yankee Stadium, giving up a run. “I can pretty much play through about anything, but this one, I said I’m going to go ahead and do the smart thing.
“The thing is, I might’ve kept fighting through it and it might’ve been worse. At this point in my career, if I can’t go there and pitch the way I want to, I’m going to go ahead and be smart.”
Oliver said there was no single pitch or outing that left him feeling hurt, and given how many miles he has on the odometer over 20 big-league seasons, an injury shouldn’t come as a surprise.
An MRI is in the works.
“A lot of wear and tear in that arm,” Gibbons said.
Oliver figured he might have a problem with his shoulder after he struggled to get loose. He’s been through enough previous injuries to know the difference between routine pain and something more serious.
“I’ve had pain in my shoulder (before), I wouldn’t say it’s the same,” Oliver said. “I’ve had pain in my elbow too, and my back, and my knee – pretty much everywhere.”
The cortisone shot should reduce the inflammation in his shoulder.
“They should’ve just done my whole body,” Oliver quipped.
—
ROSTER SHUFFLE: Darren Oliver’s placement on the disabled list opened up a spot on the 25-man roster for Sean Nolin, while J.A. Happ was transferred to the 60-day DL to clear a spot on the 40 for the rookie starter.
That means the earliest Happ, felled by a line drive off his left ear May 7, can return from his right knee sprain is July 7. Recuperating in Dunedin, Fla., he’s yet to be able to do very much.
“He’s waiting for the knee to recover enough so he can do some things, his head is fine though,” manager John Gibbons said. “He was waiting to get a brace for it before he could start throwing.”
—
RISK REWARD: Speedy outfielder Anthony Gose’s charge home after advancing to third on a passed ball worked out Thursday night when he slid into the plate safe, but was it a smart play?
The Blue Jays would have had runners on second and third with none out and Edwin Encarnacion at the plate had Gose stayed put, and an out would certainly have stemmed momentum.
“You’ve got recognize the situation, we’ve got the middle of our lineup up there, no outs, there are times to take a risk and there are times not to,” manager John Gibbons said. “But he made it work and he can create some things for you. Now if he’s out it’s a different story. But he wasn’t out.”
