Randal Grichuk gets the day off amidst struggles

The Blue Jays will open their three-game series in Baltimore with the Orioles tonight with J.A. Happ on the mound against the Dylan Bundy.

The big news of the day is that Randal Grichuk is getting the day off in favour of Steve Pearce. I don’t think this is something we should real very far into nor do I think it’s a sign that the Jays are inching towards cutting bait with Grichuk and calling up Teoscar Hernandez in his place. Grichuk doesn’t have options. He can’t be sent down to Triple-A without going through waivers. The Jays aren’t giving up on a player with that much talent because of a one-week stretch. Also, Hernandez hasn’t even played a game in Triple-A this season as the Bisons’ games have all been postponed due to snow.

That said, it is a good thing that Grichuk is getting a day off in order to take a step back from what’s been a horrendous stretch at the plate. The newly-acquired outfielder has had a hell of a time since joining the Blue Jays this season. He had a homer in his second game and a hit in his third, but, since then, he’s been plagued by a 0-for-24 run with 10 strikeouts.

There’s obviously no way he’s going to hit, like, .050 all year, but for a guy with the reputation of being a free swinger without much plate discipline, this start has been somewhat worrying. I feel for Grichuk, of course, because when you join a new team you immediately want to show the other players, the manager, the front office, and even the fans that you can contribute. Would this be as big a deal if it happened in the middle of June?

In other news, Russell Martin and Devon Travis are back in after their schedule off days, and Justin Smoak is being given a day at DH while Kendrys Morales will play at first.