Yunel

Escobar

Escobar has been splitting time between shortstop and third base while hitting .280/.380/.376 in 189 at-bats. Escobar won’t be as good of a prospect if he can’t stay at shortstop, but he could be a regular at second or third. The Braves hope they won’t need him anytime soon.

Escobar hasn’t played since being hit in the elbow by a pitch during Saturday’s game. “The swelling is midway down his forearm.” said Farrell. “That’s the length of it. He’s got some significant swelling in there. If he was capable, he’d be in the lineup, so he’s still a couple of days away.” Mike McCoy should continue to fill in at shortstop during his absence.

Escobar missed his seventh straight contest Monday, but he’s making bits and pieces of progress and should be able to return to action by the end of this week. The 28-year-old shortstop is batting .290/.369/.413 this year with 11 home runs and 48 RBI.

“If we get to Monday and he’s not well enough to take BP he probably won’t play,” Farrell said. Escobar hasn’t played since taking a pitch off his elbow on September 10. Fantasy owners shouldn’t be counting on his return.

Escobar hasn’t played since taking a pitch off his elbow on September 10, which is an oddly long absence given that he supposedly doesn’t have any broken bones or structural damage. The swelling in his elbow simply won’t go down, though, and there’s no need for the Blue Jays to push him back into the lineup.

All four hits were singles, though they helped raise Escobar’s .208 average to .264. Toronto’s perennially hard to figure shortstop has three extra-base hits and five RBI through his first 11 games.

Escobar went 4-for-4, all singles, and also walked in the game. He did a nice job setting the table at the top of the lineup, and came around to score three of the Jays six runs on the night. The four-hit effort raises his average to .265 on the season, and he seems to really be settling in as the second hitter in the Jays lineup.

Hitting just .200/.219/.233, the RBI were Escobar’s first of the season. He plated Rajai Davis with a third inning sac fly before singling him home again in the eighth. Traditionally a slow starter, Escobar could lag a little longer before kicking it into gear.

Escobar has played all 18 games for the Blue Jays this season and is in the lineup again Thursday, so he could probably use a breather. Omar Vizquel will likely start in his place.

Manager John Farrell finally tried the switch he looked at in spring training, with Kelly Johnson hitting leadoff in front of Escobar, and it resulted in a big offensive outburst for the Blue Jays. Escobar had been hitting just .217/.257/.274 in 106 at-bats this season.