I didn’t know position players could get left arm shittiness! Maybe the dreaded disease is going around the Blue Jays’ clubhouse right now, because with J.P. Howell already out with a bout of it (and Jason Grilli at risk of succumbing to the right arm strain at any moment), the club has announced that Chris Coghlan has come down with a case of it as well!

It was, of course, always going to be Coghlan who would make way for Steve Pearce’s return — even though Dwight Smith Jr. is on the roster now instead of Ezequiel Carrera. The club needs someone who can at least theoretically play in centre if Kevin Pillar “picks up a knock” and so Smith is a “like for like substitution” there.

Pearce, of course, could have taken the spot of one of eight relievers currently in the bullpen, but it seems as though the club is pretty comfy with that arrangement. Personally, I expected a Coghlan DFA, but… meh. Same diff.

What this makes clear, though, is that if the Jays were actually thinking of bringing up someone like Jason Leblebijian to take a shot at making second base something that doesn’t quite resemble a dark pit of despair as it does right now, it’s going to have to be at the expense of either Ryan Goins or Darwin Barney (who I’m preeeeeetty sure they love having around), or one of said relievers (who they also seem to love having). PIT OF DESPAIR IT IS, I GUESS!

Anyway, it’s good to have Pearce back. He remains a nice bat to have in the lineup, especially against lefties, who can look halfway competent in left, and maybe even snag some infield time in a pinch. He almost certainly won’t be looked to as the Jays’ temporary solution at second base, but he might be able to fill in said pit with… slightly less despair? I dunno. It’s an upgrade on Coghlan, that’s for fucking sure!