Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Maicer Izturis will undergo an MRI on Saturday to determine the extent of his groin strain. Izturis suffered the injury during Friday afternoon's Spring Training game against the Tampa Bay Rays

However, Jays manager John Gibbons is not too confident about the potential results of the medical testing.

Despite Izturis's telling Sportsnet’s Barry Davis that his level of discomfort has not changed from Friday, Gibbons still expects the second baseman to be out of action for Opening Day. 

Newly-acquired prospect Devon Travis, formerly of the Detroit Tigers, could be looked at to come in and replace Izturis for the short term. Travis has never played above the Double-A level, but he has impressed management with his .538 batting average over the last four Spring Training games.

Third-year second baseman and shortstop Ryan Goins is another player with a shot at filling the void at second base. Goins has a .531 OPS over parts of two seasons in the Majors.

Izturis appeared in only 11 games through the 2014 season after tearing his lateral collateral ligament in his left knee by tripping on the dugout stairs just two weeks into the season. Though this new injury should not keep him on the disabled list for as long as his stint last year, there is no set timetable on his return.

The Blue Jays open the season on the road in the Bronx against the New York Yankees on April 6.

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Bassil Thayabeh
Bassil is a sports journalist covering the latest in sports news for VAVEL USA, predominantly over seeing the Toronto franchises and other Canadian sports. Bassil has also featured for United Report and FutbolPulse.