BALTIMORE – Troy Tulowitzki is on the cusp of returning to the Toronto Blue Jays after emerging from his first batting practice session feeling good and convinced that, at the latest, he’ll be ready for the post-season.
“Definitely,” the all-star shortstop proclaimed without hesitation Monday.
Tulowitzki swung three times on the field at Camden Yards before a light rain forced the rest of his session indoors, where he took roughly 30-40 swings and said he “felt great,” afterwards. It’s possible he sees action during this week’s four-game series in Baltimore, or this weekend at Tampa Bay, and the way he spoke of a return was in marked contrast to his previous notes of caution.
“I have been cautious just because I hadn’t taken those swings yet,” Tulowitzki explained. “Now, that was the last step, taking BP and coming out of there fine tells me I’m definitely getting real close.”
Tulowitzki suffered a small crack in his left scapula, or shoulder blade, and upper back muscle bruises during a freak collision with centre-fielder Kevin Pillar on Sept. 12 at Yankee Stadium.
At the time there was some hope he could return in time for the playoffs, but that was dependent on how quickly he healed.
“I didn’t know what to expect when I first heard after the MRI that, ‘hey, you had a fracture and you had some other things going on in there,’” said Tulowitzki. “The first thing I wanted to know was what’s the timeline, I think they came out with 2-3 weeks, hoping that I’d be able to make it back, but that’s not a given. I’m glad they didn’t say six weeks because then I would have been very upset.
“But that it gave me that hope I could come back was exciting news, and I was willing to do anything I possibly could to make those possibilities a high percentage.”
The next steps for Tulowitzki include taking early batting practice Tuesday – it’s important to him to hit on the field – and making sure there are no negative effects from today’s session.
Factors in when he returns include whether the Blue Jays have clinched or not – manager John Gibbons suggested a scenario where he’s eased back into action as a defensive replacement – the weather, and if the team wants him to take another MRI or not, something that was in the initial plans.
“I’m not sure where we’re at with that right now,” said Tulowitzki. “I talked to the training staff, they did their homework, and it seems like as long as I’m feeling good that may not be needed. We’ll see though if that’s something they want before I’m out there playing.”
Once he does return, Tulowitzki knows he’ll need to continue playing smart but will be able to dive for a ball if needed. The only question he had was hitting because, “defensively out there, I feel like myself, I’ve been running the bases, doing things like that, hitting is the last thing, this is the first time I’ve hit live and today went well. …
“No [pain], I feel great,” he added. “Came in early, did all my stuff I had to do, and I was excited about today, came to the ballpark real early, itching to get going and it was a good day.”
While Tulowitzki wants to play before the post-season, he isn’t concerned if he doesn’t, insisting that won’t impact his timing or things of that nature.
“But the way things are going,” he said, “I don’t anticipate that.”
