Blue Jays injury updates: Randal Grichuk nearing return

Arash Madani spoke to Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins about the team’s pitching and the prospect on every baseball fan’s mind- Vlad Guerrero Jr., who is tearing it up in the minors.

TORONTO — Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Randal Grichuk is expected to begin a minor-league rehabilitation assignment next week and is nearing a return to the big-league club.

Grichuk has been on the 10-day disabled list since the end of April with a sprained right knee. He recently began a fielding and base running progression at the club’s minor-league complex in Dunedin, Fla. to test his recovery. He also began taking live batting practice and getting at-bats in simulated games this week.

According to the team, all that activity has gone well. It’s unclear how much minor-league run-up Grichuk will need before rejoining the Blue Jays. By the time he begins his rehab assignment, Grichuk will have been out of games for more than three weeks.

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Also progressing toward a return is shortstop Aledmys Diaz, on the 10-day DL with a left ankle sprain. The 27-year-old has begun a running profession and will attempt a series of base running drills early next week. If all goes well, he’ll be reassessed for a possible rehab assignment towards the end of next week.

Diaz injured his ankle during a game on May 6 when he stepped awkwardly on first base while trying to leg out an infield hit. He’s been in Dunedin recovering ever since and began taking batting practice this week.

Also in Dunedin, Steve Pearce has begun playing light catch and performing strengthening exercises as he continues to recover from a left oblique issue. The next step for Pearce will be to begin taking batting practice, which has yet to happen. Marcus Stroman has also reported to the Blue Jays’ Florida facility, but has not yet begun throwing.

Meanwhile, Troy Tulowitzki is continuing his running progression on an anti-gravity treadmill and has begun taking batting practice and fielding groundballs at shortstop. Tulowitzki went under the knife on April 2 to remove bone spurs from each of his heels.

The 33-year-old has a follow-up appointment with his surgeon, Dr. Thomas Clanton, next week. The Blue Jays expect to know more about the progress of his recovery after that. Tulowtizki last played in July 2017.

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