Music: {allcanada} Bautista hopes to play outfield on Monday

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

{allcanada} Bautista hopes to play outfield on Monday

TORONTO – Having won back-to-back games for the first time in almost three weeks and doing so with a combination of great starting pitching and a potent offence, a little optimism has crept back into the Blue Jays' clubhouse following a stretch in which the club had lost 10 of 13.

There is only so much optimism fans in these parts can take – the local teams have taught us to wait for the other shoe to drop – but if there's a little more room in your happy jar, Jose Bautista hopes he can play the outfield when the Jays go to Washington on Monday for interleague play.

"I think so," said Bautista.

Bautista was back in the lineup on Tuesday, hitting in his customary third spot as the designated hitter, after missing two games to allow a cortisone injection to his injured shoulder to set.

Earlier in the day, Bautista made about 30 throws from 90 feet, the longest tosses he's made since suffering a strain and an impingement on April 21 versus Baltimore.

He said he felt "okay."

"The strength is not there, but normally our strength comes back in our arms fairly quickly, so as long as I can remain pain free, I will escalate it as quick as I can," Bautista said.

The injection has worked to alleviate some of Bautista's other concerns. Most notably, he said he's sleeping better; the throbbing pain in his shoulder has dissipated.

"That's been a relief for me," he said. "It is what I was looking for (with the injection), partly for sure, and now let's see what happens on the field."

NAVARRO BEGINS REHAB ASSIGNMENT

Dioner Navarro, on the disabled list since April 22 with a strained hamstring, was catching and hitting leadoff for Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday night.

The appearance marked the beginning of Navarro's minor-league rehabilitation assignment. There's no set date for Navarro's return; per major league rules, a player can be out on rehab for up to 20 days.

The plan was for Navarro to catch six innings on Tuesday and to serve as the Bisons' designated hitter on Wednesday.

"We'll just kind of go from there," said manager John Gibbons. "He's been out a while, but it was a pretty significant injury. When the time's right, he'll be back. We want to make sure he's good and ready."

STARTERS ON THE REBOUND

Finally, it's happening. Blue Jays' starters weren't as bad as they pitched in April. They're probably not as good as they've thrown since May 17 in Houston, either, but the skipper is willing to ride this wave for as long as it lasts.

"We're better than we were performing, that's for sure, so in the back of our minds, we thought this is going to turn, we're going to get better," said Gibbons. "They've been on a nice little roll."

Entering play on Tuesday, regular Blue Jays' starters had gone at least 6 2/3 innings in each of the last eight games. Struggling with walks early this season, the staff has issued only 17 free passes in that eight game span.

"Usually it comes down to where they locate the pitches," said Gibbons. "At the big league level it's not enough to say throw strikes because if they're not good strikes and quality strikes, you get hit at this level. Aside from Dickey, the other guys, you've got to be able to live on the corners. You have to have good off-speed pitches and you've got to be able to throw those when you're behind in the count."

TRAVIS UPDATE

Devon Travis, out with inflammation in his left shoulder, isn't eligible to return from the disabled list until Monday. The Blue Jays don't believe he'll be out much, if at all, beyond that date.

Manager John Gibbons didn't rule out Travis leaving for a minor-league rehabilitation assignment by the end of the week.