So here’s a fun chart.
The Blue Jays endured a great deal of misfortune over the season’s early weeks and they’ve only now been able to climb back out. Having Edwin Encarnacion around these last few years helped shield them from such blips, but when he’s downgraded to a league-average hitter in Kendrys Morales, talent voids become more noticeable and the losses begin to pile up. Consider the following:
- Josh Donaldson, the Jays’ superstar third baseman, missed about a month and a half with a calf injury. He’s healthy now and raking, but in his absence, the Jays employed Darwin Barney — who still exists — on the regular at third base.