The Toronto Blue Jays have found some momentum as of late, and on Monday, they won their series opening contest with the Boston Red Sox, getting them closer to the .500 mark and potentially making a late push in the American League Wild Card race.
With the winning run as of late, the Blue Jays are still six games under .500, but with just a 3.5 game gap between them and the final Wild Card team in the AL, there’s optimism that this momentum can be sustained. Injuries continue to play a big role however, and after recent news on Trey Yesavage, the team have once again made an unfortunate announcement on Kazuma Okamoto.
Kazuma Okamoto Scratched Again
GettyKazuma Okamoto of the Toronto Blue Jays.
The team managed to grind out that 2-1 victory despite being without star third baseman Kazuma Okamoto, who was a late scratch in that one due to knee discomfort, with the team needing his bat in the lineup if they are to make a late season run.
On Tuesday, the team first announced that he would be returning to the lineup, but now, just ahead of first pitch, the team have confirmed that he will once again come out of the lineup, with Myles Straw coming into the lineup and Charles McAdoo moving to third base to replace Okamoto.
This is a major blow to the Blue Jays lineup, and even though Okamoto has been nowhere near his best as of late, he’s still one of the most impactful bats on the roster, and if this leads to an IL stint, it could be a major blow to their hopes of making a dramatic, miraculous run towards the post-season as September draws near.
On the season, Okamoto is hitting .225 with a .728 OPS while leading Toronto with 24 home runs and 70 RBI, and even though his play as of late has declined, his all around play for much of the year has made him a fan favorite.
Can the Blue Jays Make a Post-Season Push?
The Blue Jays are now within striking distance of a Wild Card berth in the AL, and while it’s just a 3.5 game gap, there’s several teams between them and their dream of getting back to the World Series, meaning they’ll need to be near perfect down the stretch.
As of right now, we don’t quite know the full extent of Okamoto’s injury, but after being scratched in back-to-back games, it’s something that the team will need to address in an official capacity sooner, rather than later.
Ultimately, their dream of a post-season run gets tougher with the Okamoto injury and the Yesavage one too, but if the team can manage to battle through all of that and get healthy down the stretch and get into the post-season, there aren’t many teams in the American League that would want to see this pitching staff in a five or seven game series.
Blue Jays Make Another Last Minute Move on Star Kazuma Okamoto