DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Devon Travis finally feels like he is turning a corner in his recovery from left shoulder surgery, but the 25-year-old second baseman still faces a long road to recovery.
Travis was recently re-evaluated by the doctor who performed the surgery to stabilize a bone in his shoulder, and he received a positive review. He was in a brace for two months after the mid-November medical procedure, and he is just now starting to get his full range of motion back.
• Spring Training: Schedule | Tickets | More info
There is no timetable for Travis to begin hitting or resume full baseball activities, but every small step has to be considered a positive, and he's doing his best to remain optimistic about an eventual return to the field. The good news here is that he is progressing, even if it's a slow process.
"I have a time in my head, but that doesn't mean that's what everyone else has to go by," Travis said. "I'm doing all I can to get back as quick as I can. ... That's my main goal, getting back as quick as I can while being 100 percent healthy."
Travis was originally expected to be out until late May or early June, but that's a tentative timeframe at best. The reality is that no one really knows how long it will take for Travis to return to form, but even when he's back on the field, the native of Florida will have to prove his shoulder issues are a thing of the past.
Toronto will start the year with Ryan Goins at second base and Darwin Barney as the primary backup. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons was asked for details on what the plan will be when Travis eventually gets healthy, but he understandably wasn't taking the bait because there is so much uncertainty that no one can really provide an accurate prediction.
"We want him playing good," Gibbons said when asked if Travis would be the starting second baseman upon his return. "He's a big part of it. We saw what he could do last year, but who knows when he's going to be back. [Goins] is going out there now. We'll see how he plays, but I'm not even worried about that. All of those things play out in the long run anyway."