TORONTO – Kevin Pillar re-joined the Toronto Blue Jays confident that the thumb injury that sidelined him for 15 days has healed to the point that he can play his usual brand of all-out baseball.
"I feel pretty good," Pillar said Tuesday at Rogers Centre. "I don’t feel like there’s anything I can’t do out there that I wasn’t able to do before the injury. It’s just something that I’m going to have to deal with and take (further) care of in the off-season."
In a corresponding move, the Blue Jays optioned right-hander Ryan Tepera to triple-A Buffalo, which means they’re now back to seven relievers.
Pillar, who leads all MLB position players with 22.8 defensive runs above average, was placed on the disabled list Aug. 8 after injuring his left thumb sliding head-first. The 27-year-old will now wear protection on his left hand and may even slide head-first more selectively.
"I’m going to try to be a little more political when it comes to sliding, try to go feet-first, but I play the game hard,” he said. “I play the game with instincts and sometimes (a head-first slide) just happens."
Pillar’s return pushes Melvin Upton Jr. to left field for the time being, with Michael Saunders starting in right field. Jose Bautista‘s expected to re-join the Blue Jays Thursday, at which point the mix for playing time will become more complex.
Manager John Gibbons said Tuesday that he expects Bautista, now sidelined with a left knee sprain, will DH regularly once he returns. That would leave two outfield spots for the trio of Saunders, Upton Jr. and Ezequiel Carrera while pushing Justin Smoak into more of a bench role.
Pillar, 27, has a .261 batting average with seven home runs and 27 doubles for a .677 OPS in 109 MLB games this season. He played in two rehab games with the Blue Jays’ Dunedin affiliate before his activation, collecting six hits in seven at-bats.
"I think numbers can be a bit deceiving down there (but) it beats the alternative," Pillar said. "I’ll take the six for seven, but for me it was just about feeling comfortable with my hand and my thumb.”
The Blue Jays enter play Tuesday tied with the Boston Red Sox atop the AL East. Toronto will send R.A. Dickey to the mound against Tyler Skaggs in their series opener against the Los Angeles Angels.
