{"id":6443,"date":"2017-05-31T18:56:45","date_gmt":"2017-05-31T22:56:45","guid":{"rendered":"lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/\/?p=6443"},"modified":"2017-05-31T18:56:45","modified_gmt":"2017-05-31T22:56:45","slug":"blue-jays-health-june-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2017\/05\/31\/blue-jays-health-june-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Jays Health will Determine June Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a disastrous April saw the Toronto Blue Jays start the season with an 8-17 record, the Jays battled injuries<\/a> throughout May to improve their record to 26-27, keeping them within striking distance of the AL East-leading New York Yankees. Despite their unlucky injuries, the Jays have received some much needed support<\/a> from players like Justin Smoak<\/a><\/strong> and Kevin Pillar<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Blue Jays Health will Determine June Success<\/h2>\n

It’s imperative that the Jays stay healthy in June. The returns of Josh Donaldson<\/a><\/strong> and Troy Tulowitzki<\/a><\/strong>, combined with the upcoming returns of Steve Pearce<\/a><\/strong>, Francisco Liriano<\/a><\/strong>, and Aaron Sanchez<\/a><\/strong>, will provide a jolt to the Jays lineup. The Blue Jays health will determine how June plays out and their ability to keep pace in the division.<\/p>\n

Crowded DL<\/h3>\n

A veteran team like the Blue Jays will always be prone to injuries, but nobody expected them to go through what they did\u00a0in April and May. The 2015 AL MVP, Donaldson, missed 38 games<\/a> with a strained right calf, the five-time All-Star Tulowitzki missed 31 games <\/a>with a strained right hamstring, four-time All-Star Russell Martin<\/a><\/strong> missed 12 games with nerve irritation, and their star pitcher, Sanchez, is back on the DL<\/a>, along with Pearce and Liriano.\u00a0Liriano is slated to make his return<\/a>\u00a0on Friday night against the Yankees at the Rogers Center, giving John Gibbons<\/a><\/strong> another starter back.<\/p>\n

Veterans aren’t the only ones landing on the DL for the Jays however, as rookie call up Anthony Alford<\/a><\/strong> was placed on the 10-day DL last Wednesday with a fracture in his left wrist. He’s slated to be out for 4-6 weeks<\/a>. The Jays depleted roster led to Gibbons fielding teams this season that were much weaker than he would have wanted. On May 18 against the Atlanta Braves,\u00a0Ezequiel Carrera<\/a><\/strong>, Jose Bautista<\/a><\/strong>, and Kendrys Morales<\/a><\/strong> were the only starters that started on Opening Day.<\/p>\n

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Here's our lineup for tonight's series finale in Atlanta pres. by @MajesticOnField<\/a>. https:\/\/t.co\/ANNQWLQyO2<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/tMWvaawnsK<\/a><\/p>\n

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 18, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n