Las Vegas Reviews

Early reviews encouraging as Snider returns from concussion

His bosses hope Travis Snider is picking up where he left off before a concussion sidelined him for two weeks.

The Toronto Blue Jays sent Snider and his .184 batting average to the minors late in April with orders to fix a flawed swing and develop better plate discipline. On Friday, in his second game back from the disabled list, he went 3-for-5 with a double for Triple-A Las Vegas.

Playing in centre field, Snider also made a nice catch in the right-centre-field gap.

Centre field is a new position for Snider, a corner outfielder during his up-and-down career with the Jays. It’s too early to assess his performance, but a cynic might say it could not be much worse than that of the Jays’ current outfield corps.

“When he does get back here, he’ll be an everyday player and that’ll certainly help the outfield defence as well,” general manager Alex Anthopoulos said before Saturday’s game between the Jays and Philadelphia Phillies.

Snider is batting .327 in 48 games at Las Vegas. He has 20 doubles and just two homers. However, Antopoulos said he is starting to show glimpses of the power that scouts have long forecast for him.

“It’s not that we won’t take singles, but that isn’t his game,” Anthopoulos said. “He’s now starting to drive the ball with authority to the opposite field. He did it again [Friday] night. He had a deep fly ball, a double to the left-centre-field gap, so it’s starting to come again.”

If Snider continues at his current clip, he could return to Toronto soon. When that happens and which position he plays remain uncertain.

The GM warned Jays’ fans not to expect miracles from Snider or the team when he comes back – or when third-base prospect Brett Lawrie recovers from a broken hand and finally gets the call, perhaps sometime in August.

“I don’t think any specific player is the saviour or is going to change the entire team … To be an elite team, we need depth,” Anthopoulos said.

• Email: jlott@nationalpost.