The Toronto Blue Jays swapped youngsters last offseason when they sent outfielder Anthony Gose to the Detroit Tigers for second baseman Devon Travis. The deal worked out for both sides initially, but Travis has experienced a big setback to the beginning of his MLB career.
The 24-year-old underwent shoulder surgery earlier this week and will miss 4-5 months (16-20 weeks), according to the Blue Jays.
#BlueJays say Devon Travis underwent shoulder surgery and will miss 16-20 weeks of baseball activity recovering.
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) November 18, 2015Devon Travis underwent left shoulder surgery per #BlueJays. No baseball activity for 16-20 weeks per team
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) November 18, 2015Travis impressed during his rookie campaign in 2015. He batted .304/.361/.498 with 38 runs scored, 8 home runs and 35 RBI in 62 games before officially going down with a shoulder injury.
He underwent exploratory surgery in September and had a cyst drained as well as a "general cleanup" of his left shoulder, but that apparently didn't help him return to full health.
"The condition, called Os acromiale, was discovered earlier in the season but it was determined the issue was not related to inflammation in a similar area," writes Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. "Travis had two lengthy stints on the disabled list with a shoulder injury, and it eventually ended his season on July 31.
"Toronto announced Wednesday afternoon that the surgery was performed after the club 'exhausted all other possibilities,' and that consulting doctors eventually recommended the procedure. It was performed on Tuesday and involved 'inserting screws to stabilize the extra bone in his shoulder.'"
Former general manager Alex Anthopoulos said in October that Travis and fellow infielder Ryan Goins would compete for the starting job in 2016. However, Travis is now expected to miss the beginning of the season and it could affect his status with the team, especially if Goins can stay consistent on both sides of the ball.
New GM Tony LaCava will now be in charge of discussing such personnel decisions. Anthopoulos turned down a multi-year contract to stay in Toronto.
Travis' promising start to his MLB career gives the Blue Jays a reason to believe in his potential despite the severity of his injury. One thing that's likely is that he won't be traded, as previous speculation suggested since Toronto is looking to upgrade their starting rotation.
