Jose Bautista has been battling a shoulder injury
The Toronto Blue Jays have struggled this season not only with winning but with injuries. The Blue Jays have been roughed up during the start of the season. Still they are only three games out of first place in the AL East, sitting at 22-26.
But there is still hope for the Jays. One of the most important pieces to the Blue Jays’ lineup is Jose Bautista. He is one of the most popular players on the team and one of the most consistent. Bautista has struggled this season while dealing with an old shoulder injury that he had aggravated on April 21st this year. Bautista missed a few games due to the ailement and struggled to get back in the lineup. Since the injury Bautista has started every single day as the team’s designated hitter, instead of playing his normal position of right field. He didn’t aggravate the injury at the plate but instead in the outfield while throwing the ball back into the infield.
On the surface it would seem as though Bautista has struggled overall this season, as he’s only hit .231 with seven home runs. However, due to a solid on-base percentage (.373), the slugger’s OPS is near his career average (.858). Prior to Tuesday’s big game, during which Bautista was 3-for-4 with three doubles and five RBI, he had been struggling at the plate.
Overall, Bautista has struggled since the injury, and is even struggling off the field with intense pain during the day. While he’s still able to be in the team’s starting lineup, his inability to play the field hurts the team’s overall flexibility. It weakens the offensive output of the outfield and forces Edwin Encarnacion and others to stay out of the DH spot. This injury is not only a potential long-term problem this season, it could be an ailment he is forced to deal with for the rest of his life. If Bautista is relegated to the disabled list due to the injury, the the Jays will be in trouble without their star player. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Bautista, who got a cortisone shot on Monday as he continues trying to push through this injury.
James McGowan is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from James, check out his archive or follow him @jmc3310.
