It all seemed to be a freak accident on Wednesday when new Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Michael Saunders was shagging fly balls. Then, all of a sudden, he stepped on a sprinkler head and half of his season was gone. It was later revealed early Thursday morning through the Blue Jays official Twitter page that Saunders has torn his meniscus in his left knee. He will need surgery and could be out until the All Star break in July.
MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm reported the details Thursday morning.
Saunders came over in a trade from Seattle for lefty starter J.A. Happ in the offseason, and he was looking to put his injury history, which plagued his tenure while with the Mariners, behind him. This is not exactly how the Blue Jays and Saunders wanted to start off this relationship. Saunders was in a great spot to get some significant playing time, but now that will not be the case.
Now for the Blue Jays, what is next for left field? Saunders was penciled in as the starter, but now the Blue Jays will have to use some of their depth a lot earlier than they may have wanted.
Some in-house options that the Blue Jays have are Kevin Pillar, Chris Dickerson, Andy Dirks (coming off of a back injury), and Ezekiel Carrera. These are not incredibly strong options to play along side Dalton Pompey in center and Jose Bautista in right, but they will have to live with these guys if that is the direction the club wants to go. Manager John Gibbons also said that utility infielder Danny Valencia could see some time out in left. Toronto could also look to other options outside of their club, but that may have to be through a trade.
This really comes as a blow to Saunders, especially because he has not been able to stay healthy for much of his career. In 2014 while with the Mariners, he appeared in only 78 games, and in 2013, he missed 20 games with various injuries.
This trade to Toronto was something that Saunders was looking forward to. It was a new opportunity and a new chapter in his career. Being a native of Victoria, Canada, playing for the Blue Jays was something that he was happy about getting to opportunity to do.
While speaking to reporters today in Dunedin, he stated, "I don't see why there should be any hiccups in my rehab."
Saunders went on to say, "For me, I think the biggest thing I’m going to have to overcome is mentally rather than physically. I know I’m going to be in good hands. I know I’m going to be OK."
The goal is for Saunders to return around the All Star break, but this has to be a major disappointment for the new chapter in Saunders' career in Toronto for the Blue Jays.