Devon Travis

A miserable start to the season earned Travis a trip to the minors. It seemed initially upon his return that he had found his swing and regained his confidence as he hit .287/.333/.457 with five homers in 41 games from late May through the end of the first half. His performance then fell apart in the second half as he began trying to pull the ball more and his infield flyball rate soared (from 6.3% to 18.9%). It seems safe to say his lower body betrayed him. Travis admitted in June that he was playing through soreness in his right knee, and was shut down early due to a left knee issue. It was the latest chapter in a long history of knee problems; Travis had arthroscopic surgery late in 2016, went under the knife again less than a year later to clean up cartilage and then endured a setback during his rehab. Given his troubles staying on the field and producing consistently, the Blue Jays' patience is likely running thin.

In his third season, Travis again teased top-level fantasy production -- hitting .364 with four homers, 19 RBI and two stolen bases in May - only for that momentum to be halted by a health setback. Most notably, Travis required surgery in June to clean up cartilage in his knee, which cost him the rest of 2017. During his early run last year, Travis seemed to be over the shoulder issues that previously limited his potential: His 32.2 percent hard contact rate and 1.02 GB/FB marked career-bests for any of his partial seasons, which proved his upper body was ready to deliver the power hidden in his 5-foot-9, 190-pound frame. The Jays' offense has lost two big bats in the last two seasons, so Travis may lag in runs and RBI, though he now has a clearer path to a top-six lineup spot, and the accompanying increase in plate appearances. If the major injuries are completely behind him, Travis has the potential to provide value as a late target at the keystone.

Travis missed the first 47 games of his sophomore season as he recovered from shoulder surgery, a hand injury in mid-August cost the second baseman a few more contests, and Travis even missed some playoff action due to a knee ailment. When healthy, he proved that his surprise production in 62 games the previous season was no fluke. While his production has been stellar thus far on a per-plate-appearance basis, Travis finds himself in what appears to be a golden era of offensive production at the keystone. Last year's .785 OPS would have ranked fourth among second basemen in 2014, but in 2016 it was only good for 16th at the position. Travis hit .309 from atop the batting order, but he needs to improve on his .323 OBP as the table-setter to lock down the leadoff spot. He still has to prove he can stay healthy for a full season. Travis is expected to be fully healthy for the start of spring training after undergoing knee surgery in November.

Travis looked like an All-Star in his first 62 major league games in 2015. He socked eight home runs and posted a .304/.361/.498 batting line before a shoulder injury prematurely ended his season. Travis, acquired from Detroit in exchange for Anthony Gose, posted a pair of excellent seasons in the minors to catapult his stock after being drafted in the 13th round in 2012. He hit .337/.408/.498 as a 22-year-old in A-ball in 2013 and held his own at Double-A the next season with an .817 OPS despite being nearly two years younger than the average Eastern League player. Ryan Goins was serviceable at second base for the Blue Jays in Travis’ absence, but his bat can’t produce like Travis did before his injury, and Travis should get every chance to regain the starting job. If he does, his skill combined with the Jays’ powerful lineup could produce excellent numbers in a weak second base crop.

After a monster season in 2013, Travis saw his first action at Double-A Erie last season. He was derailed by a chest injury early in the season, but after returning to health and shaking off the rust, Travis proved that his 2013 campaign wasn’t a fluke. From June 1st on, Travis hit .321 with nine homers, 14 steals, 45 RBI and 51 runs in 324 at-bats for the SeaWolves. The diminutive (5-foot-9, 195 pounds) second baseman packs solid power for his size, decent speed and good baserunning instincts. He also provides solid defense at the keystone with a good arm and decent range. While Travis was climbing his way up the Tigers’ prospect rankings the past couple seasons, he was blocked long term by Ian Kinsler, so the team opted to ship him to Toronto in exchange for center fielder Anthony Gose. In Toronto, Travis has a more direct path to the majors, although it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Blue Jays assigned the 24-year-old to Triple-A to begin the season.

The diminutive (5-foot-9, 183-pound) second baseman made a big splash while splitting time between Low-A West Michigan and High-A Lakeland in 2013, hitting .351/.418/.518 with 16 homers, 76 RBI and 93 runs in 504 at-bats. His stellar performance led to Minor League Offensive Player of the Year honors via the fan vote – Houston’s George Springer took home the award as voted by MiLB staff members. Travis displayed good plate discipline in his first full season in the minors, drawing 53 walks while striking out just 64 times. He also did some damage on the basepaths with 22 steals. While his base-running instincts could lead to decent stolen-base totals in the majors, Travis doesn’t have the speed to be a huge threat in the steals department. Defensively, Travis has a strong arm for a second baseman with good hands and decent range. As a 13th-round draft pick in 2012, Travis hasn’t seen much hype in the prospect world, but he could earn more attention and start to warrant legitimate consideration as a future major leaguer with another solid showing in 2014 at the higher levels of the minors.