Ken Giles has successful Tommy John surgery
The Toronto Blue Jays had a disappointing Wednesday afternoon as they were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays and officially eliminated from the 2020 Major League Baseball playoffs. Starting pitcher Hyun Jin Ryu struggled early in the game and only managed to get five outs before being pulled in the second inning.
While the Blue Jays were busy in Tampa Bay though, reliever Ken Giles was in Texas undergoing Tommy John surgery. According to Jon Heyman of the MLB Network, the surgery was a success and the player is expected to make a full recovery.
The timing of the injury is rather unfortunate though for Giles as he is expected to miss most if not all of next season and is currently heading into free agency. The 30-year-old did not have a particularly great 2020 campaign either, missing most of the season with a forearm strain.
Giles was traded to Toronto in July 2018, along with Hector Perez and David Paulino in exchange for controversial closer Roberto Osuna. It remains to be seen whether he will re-sign with the club, but the veteran may take some time following the surgery to decide his future.
Despite being eliminated from the postseason in the Wild Card round, the Blue Jays have a bright future ahead of them with a talented young squad poised to take the next step. They’ve already made it clear that they will not let the heartbreak of being ousted from the playoffs in two games prevent them from reaching their ultimate goals.
“We have a lot to be proud of, we really do,” Blue Jays’ catcher Danny Jansen said following the loss in game two to Tampa Bay, via Sportsnet. “We knocked on the door and in the next year we’re going to be ready to go through it.”
The Blue Jays were not expected to make the playoffs coming into the campaign, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the league was forced to shut down and alter its plan. MLB decided to expand their playoff format from the typical 10 teams reaching the postseason to 16 in order to adjust to a shortened 60-game season.
“It’s a learning experience,” said Blue Jays’ manager Charlie Montoyo following his club’s elimination. “This is what it’s about in the playoffs. You’ve got to play the best teams.”
Toronto understands Giles has a long road to recovery and have not stated publically what their intentions are with the pitcher, but he will certainly be an asset to any club once he is healthy and able to play again. He put up fantastic numbers last season and was expected to be Toronto’s closer this season prior to his injuries.
After playing their home games in Buffalo for the entire 2020 season, the Blue Jays are also hoping they can return to Toronto in 2021 but still require approval from the Canadian federal government. They had been denied approval in the summer because of the boarder between the United States still being closed.
