The Jays are quietly confident that RHP Casey Janssen could be back with them by the middle of May. Janssen, who missed all of 2008 following shoulder surgery, was auditioning for a spot in the rotation this spring but was derailed when he felt tightness in back of his shoulder. That ailment proved unrelated to his surgery, and Janssen hasn't had any setbacks in his rehab. He is tentatively scheduled to pitch twice for Dunedin in the Florida State League, to be followed by two more outings in the Class AA Eastern League with New Hampshire.
PLAYER NEWS: --RHP Roy Halladay went eight strong innings Friday night to move to 5-1 on the season. In the process he extended his win streak over the Orioles to nine games dating back to June 23, 2005. By winning five of his first six starts, Halladay is off to the best start of his career.
--LHP Ricky Romero, who is on the disabled list with a strained right oblique, will throw off the mound for the first time since being injured when he pitches a bullpen session Saturday. Romero said he'd probably have another bullpen session either Monday or Tuesday and then expects to be shipped out for a rehab assignment with class-A Dunedin. "I'm pretty close," Romero, who is 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA in three games, said of his possible return.
--C Rod Barajas went 3-for-5 in Friday's game to record his third consecutive multi-hit game and his fifth in his past six games. Barajas, who started the season 1-for-14, has upped his average to .319.
MEDICAL WATCH:
RHP Casey Janssen (right labrum surgery in March 2008) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 27. He missed all of last season. He began a rehab assignment with Class A Dunedin on April 27, and he could be back with the Blue Jays in mid-May.
LHP Ricky Romero (strained right oblique muscle) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 20.
LHP B.J. Ryan (left trapezius tightness) went on the 15-day disabled list April 23. He will need a rehab assignment before returning to the Blue Jays.
C Michael Barrett (torn right shoulder muscle) went on the 15-day disabled list April 18.
RHP Jesse Litsch (strained right forearm) went on the 15-day disabled list April 14. He is expected to miss six to eight weeks. Litsch experienced discomfort while throwing on April 25.
RHP Dustin McGowan (right shoulder surgery in July 2008) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 27. Initially, he was expected to be able to contribute by mid-June 2009 at the latest, but it appears that a late-July date is a best-case scenario.
RHP Shawn Marcum (Tommy John elbow surgery in September 2008) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 27. Initially, the Blue Jays didn't expect him back until 2010, but more recently he was expected to return by August.
ROTATION:
RHP Roy Halladay
RHP Robert Ray
RHP Scott Richmond
LHP Brian Tallet
LHP Brett Cecil
BULLPEN:
LHP Scott Downs (closer)
RHP Brandon League
LHP Jesse Carlson
LHP Bill Murphy
RHP Jason Frasor
RHP Shawn Camp
RHP Brian Wolfe
CATCHERS:
Rod Barajas
Raul Chavez
INFIELDERS:
1B Lyle Overbay
2B Aaron Hill
SS Marco Scutaro
3B Scott Rolen
INF John McDonald
INF/OF Kevin Millar
INF/OF Jose Bautista
OUTFIELDERS:
LF Travis Snider
CF Vernon Wells
RF Alex Rios
DH Adam Lind
