Kiermaier takes cautious approach but hopes to return to Blue Jays’ lineup soon

MINNEAPOLIS – As quickly as Kevin Kiermaier tried to throw Willi Castro out on the plate within the first inning of Saturday’s recreation, he suspected his decrease again wasn’t fairly proper. An inning later, when he tried to cease Kyle Farmer from scoring on an Edouard Julien double, all doubt was eliminated.

“By the second throw I was not feeling good at all,” he recalled. “I knew I did something to tick something off down here.”

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Upon returning to the dugout, Kiermaier informed Blue Jays supervisor John Schneider he might keep within the recreation and bunt. But realizing his centre-fielder was compromised bodily, Schneider inserted Cavan Biggio into the sport as a substitute.

“I knew that I was going to have to come out of the game, which I’m not proud of, but these things can linger,” Kiermaier mentioned.

The Blue Jays are hoping that’s not the case on this occasion, as Kiermaier has been – with out exaggeration – one in every of their finest gamers to this point this season. By Sunday morning, he was already describing the affected space as ‘a lot better’ and expressing hope that he’ll be ‘ready to roll Tuesday.’ Still, after a stretch of 17 video games in as many days, a scheduled off day Monday couldn’t come at a greater time for the Blue Jays and their centre-fielder.

“Unfortunately the best thing for it is time,” the 33-year-old mentioned. “I want to play. I want to be out there. But I want this to be ‘you miss a couple games’ rather than more.”

On Sunday, Daulton Varsho lined centre discipline, making a spectacular catch to rob Carlos Correa of a house run after two near-misses on the wall Saturday. Varsho additionally threw a runner out at third base, reminding all concerned of his defensive acumen. Should Kiermaier want extra time, the Blue Jays can definitely cowl the place.

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But their choice is obvious. Not solely is Kiermaier a three-time Gold Glove winner, he’s hitting .319 with 4 dwelling runs, 5 stolen bases and an .877 OPS. His bat performs effectively on the backside of the order and he makes an affect on the bases, however the Blue Jays aren’t inclined to hurry him.

“He was doing better,” Schneider mentioned Sunday afternoon. “With the off day, I wanted to be a little bit conservative with him. All things are trending in the right direction. We’ll see how it goes and see how he comes in on Tuesday.”

Hip accidents restricted Kiermaier to 63 video games in 2022, when he didn’t play after July 9. The earlier yr he performed in 122 video games with Tampa Bay.

Monday’s off day can even present welcome relaxation for Alejandro Kirk, who was behind the plate for a minimum of a part of every of the final 5 days. That exceeds his max of three consecutive days caught from final yr, however the Blue Jays want Kirk at a time that Danny Jansen’s on the injured checklist.

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As for Kiermaier, the prognosis is really everyday at this level. With right-handers Adrian Houser, Julio Teheran and Freddy Peralta slated to pitch for Milwaukee, there’s no apparent time to relaxation the left-handed hitting Kiermaier. But they’ll need to handle his workload rigorously because the schedule requires 13 video games in 13 days following the off day.

One third of the best way by the season, the Blue Jays have purpose to be thrilled with Kiermaier’s contributions. To make certain the remaining two thirds of the season are as productive as attainable, some warning is sensible for now.

“It’s not the end of the world,” Kiermaier mentioned. “My low back and hips have caused me a lot of grief over the years. And I felt great (Saturday) until that one movement. It definitely threw a wrench in my plans and my day in general, but I’m just going to accept it, move on, and I’ll be good to go.”

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