Injuries continue to be a theme for players at the beginning of the season. With Salvador Perez, Madison Bumgarner, and Jeff Samardzija, starting the season on the disabled list, now Toronto Blue Jays shortstop, Troy Tulowitzki will begin the season injured. Tulowitzki has dealt with injuries throughout his career, and this year was no different. This time the 33-year-old shortstop has dealt with bone spurs in his heel. Tulowitzki hasn’t played since last season after suffering an ankle sprain in July. Toronto had hoped that Tulowitzki would at least return in April despite reports of injury, but he’ll instead be expected to return in May.
The #BlueJays have placed Troy Tulowitzki on the 60-day DL with a heel injury #MLB
— Justin Valentine (@JV_Sports_Talk) March 29, 2018
Troy Tulowitzki to Start Season on Disabled List
The Blue Jays added to their infield depth over the offseason, for just this occasion. Toronto made a series of trades to acquire Yangervis Solarte, Aledmys Diaz, and Gift Ngoepe. Diaz and Ngoepe could see time at short while Tulo is on the shelf. He was an All-Star in 2016 when he batted .300/.369/.510 with a .879 OPS He finished with 17 HR and 65 RBI that year, and he also finished fifth in MVP voting. During his All-Star season in 2016, he posted a -5 DRS at shortstop. Ngoepe, on the other hand, posted a -1 DRS at shortstop, however, he has a smaller body of work than Diaz as he is only going into his second season.
The Blue Jays have consistently been bitten by the injury bug. Tulowitzki has consistently been at risk of injury throughout his career, but starter Aaron Sanchez has been hurt by injuries. Sanchez has dealt with blisters the last three years including last season when he was taken out in April. Closer Roberto Osuna suffered a cervical spasm in April last year.While the improved bench Toronto acquired over the offseason has helped, staying healthy will be key for the Blue Jays if they want to have a chance of keeping up with the two powerhouses in the AL East; the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.
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