BALTIMORE — The Blue Jays got some good late-season news on Monday when Troy Tulowitzki felt fine after taking live batting practice and said he’ll definitely be ready for the playoffs — and could possibly return in this series.
The shortstop has been out since Sept. 12 when he suffered a cracked scapula and bruising to his upper back muscles after a collision with teammate Kevin Pillar against the Yankees. Tulowitzki confirmed that he expects to be in the lineup when the playoffs begin and took batting practice Monday.
Tulowitzki said he got in three swings outside before rain moved him to the cages, where he took 30-40 more swings.
“(It) felt great,” he said. “Tomorrow hopefully (I’ll) get on the field earlier and take some swings. After that, we’ll see where we are. Hopefully, my name is in the lineup sooner rather than later.”
He said that, in terms of getting back in this series, much will depend on what takes place in the next two days. They’ll be looking to see if the team clinches, the weather — it’s supposed to be cold and rainy for much of this series — and trying to be cautious.
“Even if his bat’s not quite ready, maybe we could get him out there to play (for the sake of) his defense,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “(It would) be nice if we could get him before the series is over.”
However, it’s clear that Tulowitzki’s main goal is be ready for the playoffs. The Blue Jays would like that also as he’s given the team a big lift since coming over from the Rockies in a July 28 trade.
“As long as I play in the postseason, I couldn’t care about anything else,” Tulowitzki said. “Obviously, though, I’d like to play as soon as possible.”