Amid Teoscar Hernandez’s Impending Return, Blue Jays’ Offence Should Soon Snap Its Extended Slump
The Toronto Blue Jays were expected to feature one of the top offenses in baseball once again this season. Only that hasn’t been the case thus far. But with a key hitter nearing a return, perhaps their luck is about to change.
Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who suffered an oblique injury on Apr. 13, is slated to make his highly-anticipated return Friday in Cleveland. And it couldn’t be coming at a better time.
Understandably, the Blue Jays have desperately missed his presence in the middle of their batting order, especially as someone that’s positioned behind slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The 29-year-old’s return will undoubtedly alleviate some of the pressure that Vladdy and the rest of the offense have felt lately.
While Hernandez has been sidelined over the past couple of weeks, he certainly looked like himself during his recent rehab assignment at single-A Dunedin, where he dominated offensively.
In just three games, the two-time Silver Slugger Award winner compiled 13 plate appearances, posting four extra-base hits, four RBIs and a sensational .455/.462/1.182 slash line. Two of those four hits left the yard, including a 394-foot blast that came during his first at-bat.
Judging by Hernandez’s rehab results, it’s safe to say his oblique appears completely healthy, which is great. As a team that’s tied for the eighth-fewest runs scored (73) since his departure, he should provide a massive spark to Toronto’s line-up upon his return.
In particular, one of the biggest ways Hernandez can help snap his club’s current hitting woes is making an impact with runners in scoring position. In his absence, this is an area where they’ve struggled mightily as of late.
Since Apr. 14, the Blue Jays possess the worst AVG (.165), BABIP (.186) and wRC+ score (46) while hitting with RISP among all 30 MLB teams. They also feature the third-lowest SLG (.266) and the third-fewest runs scored (43) during this span.
A season ago, Hernandez excelled in these situations, hitting .323/.378/.533 with nine home runs and 84 RBIs. Not to mention, he was also well on his way to replicating these results in 2022, as he recorded a .250/.400/1.000 slash line and one round-tripper.
Prior to landing on the injured list, if opposing pitchers opted to walk Guerrero Jr., then they’d be forced to face Hernandez with traffic on the bases. More often than not, he’s made them pay for that decision.
With that in mind, manager Charlie Montoyo and his staff will be thrilled to welcome the Dominican native back from his stint on the injured list. As he returns to his familiar clean-up position, everyone else will be bumped down one spot, adding some much-needed depth to the line-up.
At the same time, with Hernandez returning to the majors, that’ll mean fewer at-bats for outfielders Raimel Tapia and Bradley Zimmer, who’ve both struggled offensively. Together, they each carry a wRC+ score significantly below league average (100) and have just five extra-base hits between them.
Moving forward, both players are much better suited to be utilized off the bench and as late-game defensive replacements, limiting their offensive opportunities.
Paired with Hernandez’s return, another key hitter has recently begun to heat up, shortstop Bo Bichette. Despite a slow start, the 24-year-old is starting to dig himself out of his early hole, as he enters Friday’s contest on a six-game hitting streak.
During this impressive stretch, Bichette has hit three doubles, one home run, four RBIs and a .458/.480/.708 slash line over his last 25 plate appearances.
Better yet, he’s coming off his eighth multi-hit performance of the season – his fourth during this current hitting streak – where he accounted for three of Toronto’s nine hits. That’s the Bichette everyone has come to expect over the years.
Now, 27 games into the 2022 season, the Blue Jays will finally have the top half of their batting order healthy and firing on all cylinders. Aside from opening weekend, that’s been a rare occurrence out of the gate.
Once the rest of their offense returns from the IL, including catcher Danny Jansen, this group should be poised to break out of its hitting slump. At that point, they’ll likely begin performing similar to how they did last season, where they led the majors in home runs (262).
After all, the Blue Jays are far too talented to be scoring as few runs as they are each game. Eventually, something has to give, or at least, that’s what this franchise is hoping for.
On a roster loaded with all-star players, it’s understandable for Hernandez to slip through the cracks and become forgotten about as a vital member of the offense. He won’t be taken for granted anymore, though.
If there’s one thing fans have learned recently, it’s that Toronto’s line-up desperately needs Hernandez in the middle of it. While he doesn’t receive the same attention as Guerrero Jr., Bichette and George Springer, he’s just as important as they are.
For an offense that’s already experienced its fair share of struggles, which is accompanied by a larger sport-wide issue, the best is surely still to come.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85