The Toronto Blue Jays and ace Kevin Gausman avoided a significant injury scare after the veteran hurler took a bullet line drive off the ankle from Wander Franco during his start against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.
Gausman was removed from the game after the 2.0 innings of work, as the incident occurred on the final out of the second frame. According to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, Gausman had a shocking revelation about the ankle injury, suggesting that the fact that he was wearing high-top cleats was what prevented his ankle from being “broken to pieces.”
Kevin Gausman says padding on his high top cleats probably kept his ankle from being broken “into pieces” Saturday. Tomorrow is his side day and he’s trying to balance a desire to pitch with being smart about the remaining season. Next start slated for Thursday.
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) July 4, 2022
That's a shocking claim from Gausman, who may want to give a hefty donation to whatever company manufactures his cleats. The hard-hit line drive caught the Blue Jays starter right in the ankle and he was in visible pain afterward. He has now detailed just how severe the injury could have been, had he decided to rock with a different pair of cleats that day.
It's safe to assume that Gausman will be a high-top kind of guy going forward after his cleats effectively saved him half a season, should his claims about the nature of his ankle injury be accurate.
Gausman is scheduled to start again on Thursday, June 7, against the Seattle Mariners, though there's a chance the Blue Jays will skip his start in order to give him some additional time to rest up his ankle.
After Gausman's latest update, Jays fans can begin to let out a sigh of relief. The veteran-right hander seems to have avoided serious injury, but only narrowly.
On the year, Gausman has logged a 6-6 record with a 2.86 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 100 strikeouts in 88 innings of work through his first 16 starts of the season.
Follow Us
Subscribe