Notes: New dad Davis; sim game for Ryu

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Looking out across the scorching-hot outfield at Charlotte Sports Park prior to the Blue Jays’ 9-5 loss to the Rays on Wednesday, you could see a figure buzzing back and forth, chasing down balls. That’s a sure sign Jonathan Davis is back in the lineup.

Davis got a late start to camp after he and his wife, Hannah, welcomed their first child, Kapri. Never short on smiles, the 27-year-old described his past few weeks.

“It felt surreal. As a man, you always talk about having a family and raising a family, but when it actually happens, man, it’s surreal,” Davis said. “I’m actually a dad. It kind of feels like you’re instantly grown. You’re taking care of somebody.”

After making his 2020 Grapefruit League debut on Wednesday, Davis knows what challenge comes next. He has put an increased emphasis on hitting this spring, knowing that an improved performance at the plate could really let his glove shine. But there’s a reason he needed to catch his breath after shagging fly balls in batting practice.

“My biggest thing is tracking balls in BP. When I went to Central Arkansas, we had this thing, we used to play every ball live off that bat,” Davis said. “Every ball that was hit, we would play it out like it was a game situation. I’ve always had that mentality. Every ball that’s hit, I try to make a play on the ball.”

The competition for outfield depth jobs has some layers to it. Anthony Alford and Derek Fisher are out of options, which could give them the tiebreaker over Davis and Billy McKinney. Davis has the ability to play a strong center field, though, and his manager knows it.

“He might be our best [defensive] outfielder at the end of the day,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “He’s competing for a job with the other guys. I like Davis a lot."

Davis finished his debut 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored, playing five innings defensively in center.

Ryu throws in Dunedin
Instead of starting a Grapefruit League game, Hyun Jin Ryu chose to pitch a simulated game at TD Ballpark on Wednesday.

“Last outing my command wasn’t as sharp as I’d hoped for, so I thought this would be a better setting to hone those skills,” Ryu told reporters in Dunedin, Fla., after the outing. "That was the main reason I decided to do a sim game as opposed to a real game.”

Ryu threw 50 pitches over 3 2/3 innings to Blue Jays hitters, allowing one run on three hits and a walk while striking out seven. The left-hander expects to get three more starts before Spring Training wraps up.

Kay struggles in short outing
Anthony Kay earned some positive reviews through his first two starts, but he ran into trouble Wednesday. The left-hander, Toronto's No. 10 prospect per MLB Pipeline, recorded only one out and couldn’t find the zone, as he walked four on 30 pitches (12 strikes).

“From the start, I wasn’t really in a rhythm,” Kay said. “If you’re a pitcher in the big leagues, you’ve got to be able to make adjustments, and I wasn’t able to do that today.”

It was clear to anyone watching that Kay didn’t find that rhythm, which is what made this start so different from last week's. On Feb. 28, Kay was extremely aggressive, worked quickly and knew when to pull the string with an excellent changeup. He’ll have a handful of opportunities to make the adjustments after Wednesday’s lesson.

Up next
Tanner Roark makes his first Grapefruit League start on Thursday in Clearwater, Fla., against the Phillies at 1:05 p.m. ET. It has been a long time coming for Roark, who was down with the flu earlier in camp but has built back up and is expected to be fully ready for Opening Day. After signing a two-year, $24 million contract this offseason, Roark is expected to eat some big innings for the Blue Jays.