CHICAGO – Gavin Floyd has learned enough about the wear and tear inherent to life as a reliever to know when something isn’t right. That’s why when the veteran right-hander’s shoulder tightened, he pulled himself from Saturday’s 10-8 Toronto Blue Jays win over the Chicago White Sox after four pitches.
Tests are scheduled for Sunday to further diagnose the issue and manager John Gibbons hinted strongly that a trip to the disabled list was imminent. That would be a blow for the Blue Jays, who have come to rely on Floyd fairly heavily this season.
“When you’re a bullpen guy, you can go back-to-back days, you can go multiple games but there’s always something, you try to stay as fresh as you can,” said Floyd. “I’ve had days where I’ve felt tight and I’ve had days I’ve felt sore and been fine and recovered well. Just felt like (coming out of the game) was something I needed to do today.”
Floyd left after going 2-0 to J.B. Shuck, taking the relay back from Josh Thole before tossing it back, prompting trainer George Poulis and Gibbons to rush out of the dugout. After a brief discussion, he walked off with Poulis, with Jesse Chavez brought in to take his place.
Floyd underwent Tommy John surgery in 2013 before fracturing the olecranon bone in his elbow in both 2014 and 2015. The Blue Jays signed him to a $1-million, one-year deal in February and he competed with Aaron Sanchez for the fifth spot in the rotation before ending up in the bullpen.
Saturday was his 28th game, and he’s 2-4 with a 4.06 ERA over 31 innings with 30 strikeouts.
“I felt pretty good (warming up), If I didn’t, I would have told them I couldn’t go but I felt pretty good today,” he said. “One pitch I felt (the tightness) a little bit more than others. Just felt it was necessary to take that step to hopefully prevent anything.”
When asked if the disabled list was a possibility for Floyd, Gibbons said, “I don’t think we can afford to wait very long, that’s for sure. There could be something (roster move).”