Toronto Blue Jays: Will the return of key players ride them to victory?
The Toronto Blue Jays 2017 season has been what many would call out of the ordinary, but with the return of key players can the team maintain some stability?
It has been a roller coaster ride with the Toronto Blue Jays this season. Inconsistency, lack of offence, then consistency, injuries, dominance from surprising players.
Injuries has been the main concern – it has left the Jays in a tough position as they have had to call up replacements. But what’s even worse is the replacements have also been getting injured. For example, Darrell Ceciliani and Anthony Alford.
The Blue Jays have now sent 14 players to the DL, representing 325 man games due to injury. It's late May.
— Arash Madani (@ArashMadani) May 24, 2017
Good news is on it’s way
But with Troy Tulowitzki and Josh Donaldson set to return to the lineup this weekend, could this be the start of something new? The Jays are currently 21-26 and 7.5 games out of first place.
They still have a far way to come, but the focus is all on winning. Despite the circumstances it hasn’t been all bad news bears, as the Jays have been able to ride some momentum without their star players.
More from Tip of the Tower
- Cam Phillips making his mark on Toronto Argonauts offence
- Toronto Argonauts: 4 storylines ahead of matchup against Redblacks
- Federico Bernardeschi ready for new challenge with Toronto FC
- Toronto Argonauts overcome Roughriders in entertaining Touchdown Atlantic
- Buffalo Bills: Von Miller drawing inspiration from Bruce Smith
The Jays took two games away from the Milwaukee Brewers and this is a positive they can take when they face the Texas Rangers. Best of all, they will have Donaldson and Tulowitzki back, so hopefully they can get a consistent run going and make a push for the playoffs.
It is certain that both the team and fans miss Donaldson’s athleticism at third base, and by adding two more strong bats back into the lineup, it should definitely help push the Jays back to the top.
Players on the Jays’ roster believe that having these two guys back will be valuable for the future. Sportsnet got the scoop and opinion from Marcus Stroman:
"“We’ve been playing good baseball,” said Stroman. “Much better as of late, and obviously those are two perennial all-stars coming back. I expect them to come back and give us a huge push. We’re excited to have them back.”"
The good thing about the injuries
It’s hard to put a positive spin on the injuries the Jays have had to put up with, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. With having the injuries, it has meant that other guys have gotten more playing time and have had to step it up. Perfect example is Ryan Goins.
Goins has gotten some key hits and helped the team win some big games. The most recent was the game against the Brewers, where Goins hit his first grand slam. In addition, the Jays also hit four home runs in the game.
Next: Bautista is heating up at the right time for the Jays
The injuries have also showed that there’s more that meets the eye when it comes to pleasant surprise players like Goins, Ezequiel Carrera, and Darwin Barney. It has allowed them to show they have what it takes to push their team to victory. Taking it one game at a time and focusing on winning that day is what it takes.