It almost seemed like a cruel joke when Blue Jays pitcher Matt Shoemaker crumbled to the ground, clutching his knee on Saturday afternoon.
Shoemaker, a promising 32-year-old pitcher who has lost countless seasons and starts due to injuries, was dealt another harsh blow on Sunday when he tore his ACL in a start against the Oakland Athletics.
Despite fighting back tears in a post-game interview, Shoemaker published a tweet on Sunday after his injury vowing to keep fighting to come back.
Shoemaker had spent the entirety of his career with the Los Angeles Angels before signing a one-year, $3.5 million deal with Toronto last offseason. He had been brilliant for the Blue Jays in the first month of the season, posting a 3-0 record and a 1.57 ERA.
Unfortunately, yet another injury in a long list of ailments will sideline Shoemaker for the rest of the 2019 season.
The right-hander has also missed time during his big league career with a brain hematoma suffered after a comebacker, a forearm injury, and various shoulder strains.
Despite injury woes, he has been effective when healthy, recording a 3.81 ERA in 92 career starts.
The Blue Jays will have to scramble to find a replacement for Shoemaker in their rotation for the rest of the season as he works his way back to the playing field.
