Jays general manager Ross Atkins believes Bautista can return to all-star form
TORONTO — Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista made the all-star team in six straight seasons before injuries limited his effectiveness last year. General manager Ross Atkins is confident Bautista can return to the level that made him one of the top players in the game.
“I think he’s capable of doing what he’s done year in and year out,” Atkins said Thursday at Rogers Centre. “The player that he was that made him a six-time all-star, a guy that has certainly for the last eight years been one of the best hitters in baseball. (Near the) top in votes for MVP.
“I think that it’s more likely that he has the 2015 season than it is that he has the 2016 season because I think that (dip) was health related.”
Bautista, who signed a US$18-million, one-year deal with the Blue Jays this week, battled toe, shoulder and knee injuries last season. He played in just 116 games, hitting .234 with 22 homers and 69 RBIs, well down from the 40 homers and 114 RBIs he had in 2015.