The Blue Jays announced they’ve reinstated Teoscar Hernández from the injured list. Toronto has an extra active roster spot for Saturday’s doubleheader against the Guardians, so no further move was necessary.
Hernández is back a little more than three weeks after landing on the shelf with a mild oblique strain. The star outfielder had played in only six games before going down. He’d collected six hits and a pair of walks in 23 plate appearances, a strong start to build off his middle-of-the-order output of the previous two seasons. Between 2020-21, Hernández compiled a .295/.345/.538 slash line. By measure of wRC+, that was the 26th-best production on a rate basis in the majors (among those with at least 500 plate appearances).
That kind of hitting would go a long way toward solidifying the Jays offense among the league’s best. Toronto’s lineup has been middle-of-the-pack through the season’s first month, a disappointing outcome considering the talent on the roster. That’s at least partially attributable to oblique strains for both Hernández and catcher Danny Jansen.
While the former has been out of commission, Raimel Tapia has stepped into the primary outfield. That hasn’t gone well, with the offseason trade acquisition limping to a .212/.227/.282 line in his first 90 plate appearances with the Jays. Pushing Tapia back into a depth role behind the starting outfield of Lourdes Gurriel Jr., George Springer and Hernández should be a dramatic upgrade on offense.
