After season-ending surgery, Borucki optimistic

TORONTO -- After one surgery and a pair of starts for the Blue Jays, Ryan Borucki’s season has come to an end.

Battling through elbow inflammation during Spring Training, the 25-year-old left-hander worked his way back to the big leagues after a bone spur was discovered early in the season. Experiencing lingering symptoms following two starts, he learned he would need to go under the knife to remove it with the same procedure that was performed in 2015.

“I couldn’t really straighten my elbow much, I couldn’t get extended,” Borucki said. “It was kind of like a pulling [feeling], it felt like a constant banging in the back of my elbow. … After my last outing, I knew what was going on in there. It really was one of those feelings that you’re familiar with, when you’ve had surgery before you know what it feels like. Once I had that feeling I [knew] this might be it, it might be the time.”

On Thursday in Florida, Dr. James Andrews shaved down pieces of the bone and removed a fragment. Borucki has been shut down for the remainder of the season; he is expected to resume regular offseason activities ahead of being on track for Spring Training 2020.

“His [issue] was posteromedial, so right in the back of his elbow,” head trainer Nikki Huffman said. “There was bone calcification buildup there, that was shaved down. There was also a piece that was removed, so it was a little bit of both. Sometimes there’s a floating piece, and sometimes there’s a piece that needs to be shaved down, but it was a little bit of both in his case.”

Borucki believes that his experience on the sidelines, and specifically his comeback from the same procedure three years ago, will help him get through the process this time.

“Having the mindset that everything’s going to be all right,” Borucki said. “I’ve seen how I progressed in ’15. I had three really good years after that, no problems. It was just a freak thing. There was nothing I could have controlled or done anything differently. Obviously I know what I’m coming into, I’m just going to try to crush rehab as much as I can.”

After attempting to alleviate Borucki’s early-season issues conservatively, the Blue Jays and the southpaw came to the understanding that more needed to be done.

“We went through the medication stuff, I got a cortisone shot, I went through a throwing progression to get back, and that was as conservative as you can get,” Borucki said. “Obviously anything conservative is not surgery related.

“I was feeling good, but as I built up more, I got more reps in, and my pitch count went higher, my arm wasn’t up to all that. It was one of those things where no matter how much rehab I could do, I don’t think it was ever going to get better until I got the surgery.”

Borucki underwent Tommy John surgery in 2013, also performed by Dr. Andrews. On Thursday, Andrews had a chance to take another look at the replacement ligament, ensuring that it wasn't harmed by the ongoing issues, nor did it cause them.

"We wanted to make sure that ligament is doing what it needs to do,” Huffman said. “So you’re not getting extra motion and clanging and banging in the back of your elbow. … When you go into surgery, the ligament also gets evaluated under anesthesia, so when Dr. Andrews went in to do the scope, he checked out the ligament, and it was great. So it was really good news all the way around.”

Added Borucki: “I’m really relieved. I knew my arm was hurting and just having that clear mind, going into the next season knowing that I’m going to be fully good to go with no problems is going to make my rehab process, everything this offseason, a lot better.”

Making a mark

Catcher Reese McGuire has quickly made an impression not only on the Blue Jays, but around the league. And it’s enough of an impact that Cory Blaser, the home-plate umpire for Monday’s game against Tampa Bay, went out of his way to share his praise with manager Charlie Montoyo.

“I didn’t even ask him," Montoyo said. "[It was] about Reese McGuire catching the ball, strikes and stuff. He’s really good.”

The 24-year-old made an early mark at the dish with four hits in Thursday night’s series opener against the Yankees, thanks to some advice from back home in Seattle.

“Earlier on, I was being a little aggressive with my knee kick and my load, and that sped everything up and the ball would get on me a little quicker,” said McGuire, ranked as Toronto’s No. 26 prospect by MLB Pipeline. “I was chasing some pitches I normally wouldn’t swing at. My parents watch every game, and my dad was always my best coach growing up, so he knows my swing better than anyone, and he would even say the same thing, ‘You’re getting a little big, a little aggressive, smooth it out, stay back.’”

No matter what he does at the plate, McGuire’s priority is his time behind it, but he wouldn’t mind if he has a few more nights like Thursday in his future.

“On defense, it’s one of those things where at the position you’ve got to be able to flip the switch,” he said. “If you’re having a good day or a bad day at the plate, you’ve got to take care of business behind on defense. I definitely love getting hits, though, obviously, and being in scoring position for the other guys.”