Blue Jays pitcher Clayton Richard hits injured list — 'It's a gut punch'

Jenn Smith

Blue Jays pitcher Clayton Richard hits injured list — 'It's a gut punch' image

Shortly after right-handed pitcher, Sean Reid-Foley, was seen around the Blue Jays’ clubhouse on Sunday morning, the team announced that starter Clayton Richard would be placed on the injured list due to a stress reaction in his right knee. The 35-year old Richard, who Toronto acquired from San Diego in exchange for minor-league outfielder Connor Panas back in December, was slated to make his Blue Jays debut Monday against the Baltimore Orioles.

Reid-Foley will now get that start.

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“It kind of sprang up the side before [my] last outing [during spring training] and it was something we thought that we could manage,” Richard said of the injury to reporters  “Coming out of the last start we were able to do some things to alleviate the pain before the start but, unfortunately, coming out of it just got to the point where we needed to take time off of it and let it heal.”

Richard started just two games in spring training, giving up eight hits while striking out nine for a 3.38 ERA and 1.031 WHIP over 10 2/3 innings pitched. Last season, he started 27 games for San Diego and tossed 158 2/3 frames before undergoing season-ending knee surgery in August.

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The left-hander said his current injury is not related to any prior knee ailment, describing the pain being below the knee and just outside the joint.

“It hurts...it's something where I can move my knee around fine when it's unloaded. Unfortunately, when it gets loaded there's pain involved," Richard described. "So when I'm up on it, walking, moving around, that compression below the joint creates pain.”

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The timeline for Richard's return will depend on how he feels but it will be at least two weeks before he's reevaluated by the Blue Jays' medical staff. In the meantime, Richard plans to keep in pitching shape by throwing from a seated position and exercising in the team facilities.

Through the season's first four games, the Jays’ starting rotation has been sharp. Buoyed by a new routine in which all five starters walk out of the bullpen together prior to the start of the game, the Jays’ first four starters — Marcus Stroman, Matt Shoemaker, Aaron Sanchez and rookie Trent Thorton (who made his major league debut on Sunday in place of the injured Ryan Borucki) — have combined for 24 scoreless innings. The record to start the season is 25, set by the 1994 Atlanta Braves.

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For Richard, the timing of his injury couldn’t be worse.

“It's a gut punch," he said. "It hurts because in this game when you're not able to be physically active, it's a difficult thing to deal with because that's why we're here. That's the value we provide to the team. So you try to figure out ways to find value in other avenues. It's unfortunate. It makes your stomach hurt a little bit along with physical pain of the knee but it's an unfortunate part of the game. It's a high-stress motion that you go through pitching and things like this happen.”

Jenn Smith