Blue Jays second baseman Travis viewed with potential

DUNEDIN, Florida — Blue Jays manager John Gibbons believes Devon Travis has the tools to be one of the best hitters in baseball. He just has to stay healthy.

The 25-year-old second baseman is expected to be ready for Opening Day on April 3 in Baltimore after undergoing surgery for the third time in two years.

“When we first traded for him, I thought he was going to be strictly a line-drives guy, but he hits home runs a long way and he’ll drive in some runs,” Gibbons said Saturday after the team’s first full-squad spring training workout. “He’ll be a high average guy, he can do a lot of things.

“If he stays healthy, I think he’s got a chance to be one of the better hitters in baseball. I really do.”

Travis had his latest surgery in November to remove a small flap of cartilage that was caught in his right knee joint. He also had two separate left shoulder surgeries in 2015 and didn’t make his 2016 debut until the end of May.

Travis, who participated in a limited workout on Saturday, doesn’t know if the knee bruise is entirely healed. He said he “feels good,” though.

“There’s still certain things I haven’t done, but I’m not in pain,” he said.

Travis also missed time in 2016 with a right knuckle injury in August and a shoulder injury sustained in a brawl with the New York Yankees at the end of September. He finished the year with a .300 batting average through 101 games.

He hit 11 homers and 28 doubles while driving in 50 runs, showing his manager flashes of potential along the way. “For a young kid he’s got such a great approach, uses the whole field, and he’s strong, it’s a compact body,” Gibbons said. “He’s got a chance to be really, really good.”