We need to talk about what happened to Troy Tulowitzki
Troy Tulowitzki has been off the grid, but recent comments about his future showed he’s actually still around.
For a time earlier this decade, Troy Tulowitzki was one of the best shortstops in baseball. He was a National League All-Star for the Colorado Rockies in five of six seasons from 2010-2015, with two Gold Gloves over that span.
Tulowitzki was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays just before the trade deadline in 2015, and he hit 24 home runs and drove in 79 in his first full season with the team. But he has not played since July 28, 2017, as foot and ankle issues have kept him sidelined and he had surgery to fix bone spurs just after Opening Day this year.
As if there was any doubt, as the Blue Jays play out the string, manager John Gibbons has said Tulowitzki is not expected to return this season. A position change could be in order, to better preserve Tulowitzki’s health. But the 33-year old (34 in October) is resisting a potential move.
Troy Tulowitzki just met with the media in the dugout - to sum it up, Tulo said he still has some discomfort in his heels, some days are better than others, and he could never be sure this year of being able to come back and play on an everyday basis. He says he thinks he will
— Dan Shulman (@DShulman_ESPN) August 26, 2018
be ready to go for 2019, and welcomes competition for the SS position. When asked if he would consider a position change, he said "I'm a shortstop. If someone's better than me, I'll pack my bags and go home". Added he has had heel discomfort for a couple of yrs, and that
— Dan Shulman (@DShulman_ESPN) August 26, 2018
The Blue Jays have used five different players at shortstop this year, led by Aledmys Diaz and Lourdes Gurriel. Top prospect Bo Bichette is also on the verge of surfacing in the big leagues, so Tulowitzki indeed better welcome some competition for the starting job as he told ESPN’s Dan Shulman.
Tulowitzki is making $20 million this year, $20 million next year and $14 million in 2020 before a $15 million club option for 2021 ($4 million buyout). He also has a full no-trade clause, so even if another team wanted to take on all or part of what’s left of his contract Tulowitzki could veto the move.
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Tulowitzki was optimistic he’d be able to play this year, but he never progressed enough to make it a legitimate conversation. So the Blue Jays can’t rely on his availability for spring training next year, let alone for Opening Day. But if you were wondering what ever happened to “Tulo”, the proverbial rock he was under has been kicked over.