CHICAGO – A rough start has given way to a strong June for Junior Lake, who was promoted to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday for the start of the club’s six-game road trip to Chicago and Denver.
The right-handed hitting Lake replaces the left-handed bat of Darrell Ceciliani, optioned to triple-A Buffalo, as the fourth outfielder. With Edwin Encarnacion at first base and Justin Smoak suffering from some swelling in his left knee from a foul tip Wednesday, he was the starting right-fielder versus left-hander Carlos Rodon.
“I’m very happy to be here,” said Lake.
Ezequiel Carrera, who sat Wednesday with soreness in his left Achilles, returned to the lineup in left field with Michael Saunders getting a DH day.
“It will do his legs some good,” said manager John Gibbons.
Lake is batting .244/.328/.387 with six home runs, 12 doubles and nine stolen bases in 69 games for Buffalo, but really turned a corner this month, slashing .345/.452/.517 in 19 games with six stolen bases.
The Bisons coaching staff worked with him on calming his swing and keeping his head more still, and Lake feels that helped both with his timing and his mechanics.
“The start I didn’t feel good at the plate but now I’m feeling better, a couple of games in a row I feel like a player has to [feel] at this level,” he said. “I’m feeling good, I see the ball good, taking good swings and that’s all you have to do. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”
The Blue Jays face another left-hander Sunday in perennial Cy Young candidate Chris Sale, so the timing for a swap of fourth outfielders made sense.
“We figured it’d be more valuable having the right-handed bat. He’s been hot down there – he’s been really swinging it. Hopefully he keeps that going,” said Gibbons. “He’s got some pop, he’s very talented, definitely heating up at the right time.”
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ON THE MOVE: Brett Cecil and Franklin Morales are headed to triple-A Buffalo to continue their rehab assignments after each left-hander threw his second inning at single-A Dunedin on Thursday.
Cecil, recovering from a torn lat, allowed a run on two hits with two strikeouts against Tampa while Morales, returning from shoulder fatigue, allowed a hit and a walk with two strikeouts.
“Both looked good, felt good,” said John Gibbons.
The Bisons are at Indianapolis this weekend.
