Beau Bissett and Matt Chapman, the Toronto Blue Jays’ two starting infielders who have been sidelined with injuries, are preparing to return. On the other hand, some players have not been heard from since being demoted to the minors.
Toronto manager John Schneider provided an update on his injured players in an interview ahead of the team’s game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado on April 2.
Bissett (quadriceps) and Chapman (finger) have been activated for the trip. Bissett was seen running in the outfield at Coors Field before the game with a trainer watching.
“Bissett has already taken some batting and running, and he’s going to work on his defense,” Schneider said. Chapman is still doing more indoor stuff. He’ll probably be running in the outfield,” Schneider said of both players’ status.
“Whenever he’s ready, we’ll get him back,” he said of Bissett, noting that it’s possible he could return after serving only the minimum 10 days on the disabled list.
Bissett, who was placed on the disabled list on Aug. 29, could return as early as next weekend for a three-game homestand against the Kansas City Royals.
Alec Manoa, who has yet to pitch since his demotion to Triple-A, remains a “no-go.
“There’s nothing new right now,” Schneider said of Manoa, adding that he doesn’t have an update on him. “Once he starts throwing bullpen pitches, we’ll have a better idea of what the plan is,” he said, adding that he hasn’t thrown a bullpen pitch since being sent down to Triple-A.
Meanwhile, Toronto added infielder Spencer Horwitz and right-hander Chad Greene to the team in a roster move earlier in the day.
Schneider said of Horwitz, “He could be a starter in certain pitchers and matchups. He had an unbelievable season at Triple-A, and the quality of his at-bats there is something we’re drawn to,” Schneider said.
“We’re not going to put him in a crazy situation to start, but he’s ready for any role,” he said of Green.
Toronto is currently on a 15-game road trip against teams with a winning percentage of less than .500. They went 3-3 in their previous six home games.
“Considering how good the teams ahead of us are, it’s important to rack up as many wins as we can,” he said, “but I’ve told the guys not to think about their record. “I told them not to think about their record, this is the major leagues, and we need to be good no matter who we’re playing,” he said, emphasizing the importance of not thinking about the opponent.토스카지노
Toronto currently sits in fourth place in the American League wild card standings with a 73-61 record. They are 2.5 games behind the third-place Texas Rangers. The Jays need to close that gap to earn the third postseason berth, but they also need to watch the results of other teams.
When asked if he pays attention to the results of other teams, he said, “First and foremost, I’m worried about my team,” but acknowledged that it’s “cool to see what’s changed and what’s stayed the same.”