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It appears that the odds for Devon Travis's return this season were a little too long. Today, via Gregor Chisholm, the Blue Jays announced that their rookie starting second baseman will not return in 2015 and will be undergoing exploratory surgery in an attempt to find out the root cause of what has been ailing his left shoulder for much of the season.
Gibbons said Devon Travis will undergo exploratory surgery on his left shoulder. His season is officially over. #BlueJays
— Gregor Chisholm (@gregorMLB) September 17, 2015
The fact that it's exploratory surgery obviously means #BlueJays and doctors don't know exactly what's wrong. No conspiracy, just a mystery.
— Gregor Chisholm (@gregorMLB) September 17, 2015
Travis, whose solid defensive play and impressive batting line put him in contention for the AL Rookie of the Year award early this season, ended up playing just 62 games. However, the 2.3 fWAR he accumulated in those games is the highest mark recorded by a Blue Jays second baseman since Aaron Hill's 4.0 in 2009.
The 24-year-old Travis missed more than a month between May and June with the shoulder injury, which was initially caused by a Brandon Moss shorthop that hit his collarbone, and re-injured it the day the Blue Jays traded for Troy Tulowitzki and had not played since.
Speaking of Troy Tulowitzki, Ben Nicholson-Smith tells us that he has left the Blue Jays and returned to Boston to see a specialist about his own injury, which resulted from a collision with Kevin Pillar's chin. If you recall, John Gibbons mentioned that Tulowtizki was expected to have a second round of scans this week as the first scans were obscured by internal bleeding.
Nicholson-Smith also kindly provided the lineup for tonight. Dioner Navarro is catching starter Marco Estrada. Nicholson-Smith also notes that Russell Martin will be called on to catch R.A. Dickey in his next start because Josh Thole will not be carried for the playoffs.
Let's try this again: Encarnacion in lineup for #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/xLFlUad9jg
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) September 17, 2015