TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays have a gap in their rotation after designating Felix Doubront for assignment Wednesday in order to clear a roster spot for Troy Tulowitzki, adding extra impetus to their search for a starter.
Doubront failed to make it out of the fifth inning during Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, pushing his ERA up to 4.76 in five outings, but his departure leaves prospects Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd as the only realistic internal options to take his place.
Both are chips that may be used in trade, and the Blue Jays are pushing hard for a starting pitcher in the trade market, closely examining the mid-range market after using three of their higher-end pitching prospects, including Jeff Hoffman, to get Tulowitzki.
The non-waiver trade deadline is Friday, so clearly the Blue Jays believe they have an upgrade, one way or the other.
"In all fairness to Felix, it wasn’t like he pitched bad," said manager John Gibbons. "He did OK. Part of it is we don’t want to break up our bullpen right now the way it’s set up and we think we need to improve in that area. Where that’s coming from I don’t know yet. … It was kind of hit or miss with him a little bit."
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TRAVIS IN DOUBT: Barring a dramatic overnight improvement in his strained left shoulder, Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis may very well be headed to the disabled list.
An MRI after he came out of Tuesday’s game revealed the strain but no significant damage. The Blue Jays won’t make a move with him until Thursday.
"It’s similar to the last time, a strain in that area," said John Gibbons. "He’ll take it easy and get all his treatment and then we’ll probably have a little better idea (Thursday). I don’t think it’s something we can drag out a few days because we need to play full strength. If we decided it would be better to try and knock it out instead of trying to play through it where he’s not at his best and it affects his whole game, it would probably be smart to DL him. …
"It’s too bad, he’s been a big part of our team."
The Blue Jays will run with Ryan Goins in his absence, although another infielder will be needed as Danny Valencia, who filled in at second Tuesday, is viewed more as an emergency option than potential platoon partner at the spot.
Switch-hitting infielder Ty Kelly, recently claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals, gives the Blue Jays an option for a right-handed complement to Goins. Munenori Kawasaki is a dependable left-handed hitter who provides a bit more offence, while Jonathan Diaz offers a premium glove.
Travis, who hurt himself on a swing Tuesday, missed 36 games earlier this season with a similar injury.
"He gets a lot of extension on that lead arm when he finishes his swing," said Gibbons. "There’s a lot of pressure on that shoulder area just by the way he finishes. He’s more extreme that way than anybody I really see."
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TULO IN LEADOFF SPOT: In Devon Travis’ absence, the Blue Jays put Troy Tulowitzki into the leadoff spot for the first time in his big-league career Wednesday, opting to get him to the plate more often without a traditional top of the order hitter with Jose Reyes gone.
"We all thought Devon could be a good leadoff guy," said John Gibbons. "It’s his first year but he’s shown us to this point that he can do it. With him going down last night it made that decision easier. We’ll run with that until he comes back and then we’ll look at things."
Gibbons discussed the plan with Tulowitzki before the game and got a thumbs up from his new shortstop.
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EDWIN OUT: Edwin Encarnacion was a late scratch for the Blue Jays after he jammed his left middle finger, replaced at first base and in the cleanup spot by Chris Colabello.
Precautionary X-rays were negative.