Toronto Blue Jays: Don’t get carried away about Devon Travis yet
By Paul Taylor
Devon Travis is a full participant at spring training, but given his injury issues up to this point with the Toronto Blue Jays, it’s too soon to get excited.
Spring training is always a time of high hopes for teams around the Majors, and the Toronto Blue Jays are no different. One reason is because Devon Travis is a full participant in training.
John Gibbons couldn’t help but share his optimism with the media. As reported by Sportsnet‘s Ben Nicholson-Smith, the Jays manager said:
"“You watch him move around, and if you didn’t know he’d had an injury, you wouldn’t think anything of it. Really, he looks that good.”"
This is excellent news for a player with the talent to have a long and successful career in the Majors. However, it’s way too early to be getting excited about Travis.
At the risk of sounding like a killjoy, you cannot escape the 27-year-old’s injury issues since making his major league debut in 2015. Through three seasons, he has only played 213 games, which averages out to 71 per year.
The 2017 campaign was the toughest yet for Travis. He missed the final 100 games of the season, after undergoing surgery for cartilage damage in his right knee.
This was the same knee which gave the West Palm Beach, Florida native problems the year before. Combined with his left shoulder complications during his rookie campaign, there are genuine fears about his durability.
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Is Travis truly injury prone, or has he just been extremely unlucky so far? Understandably, Blue Jays fans are hoping it’s not the former, given how productive he is when he plays.
Through his first three seasons, the 2012 13th round draft pick batted an impressive .292, hitting 24 homers along with 109 RBI, while stealing 11 bases. Along with his excellent play at second base, you can see why he was named the sixth-best prospect at his position in 2015.
If Travis does suffer more injury issues, at least the Blue Jays are prepared this time. As noted by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors, the team has better depth up the middle, with Yangervis Solarte and Aledmys Diaz.
Understandably though, most people will be hoping the 2015 AL Rookie of the Month for April can remain healthy. First things first though, Travis’ main concern is actually getting back on the field, albeit while not rushing the process, as he told Nicholson-Smith:
"“I feel strong. I don’t feel pain when I’m running, which is the nice thing. I think at this point it’s just about being smart. Just because I can run full speed doesn’t mean I have to run full speed yet.”"
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Obviously there’s no way of knowing at this point, but how many games do you predict Travis will play in 2018 for the Blue Jays: Between 1-50, 51-100 or 101-150+? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.