Blue Jays’ Hillenbrand Designated For Reassignment
Posted July 20, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Last season he was one of Toronto’s strongest batters and made a trip to the major league all-star game – but it seems that Shea Hillenbrand has played his last game as a Blue Jay.
The team designated Hillenbrand for assignment Wednesday after the designated hitter apparently criticized the team and asked to be traded.
Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi said there were “irreconcilable differences” between Hillenbrand and the organization, and the veteran’s locker was already empty after a 5-4 loss to the Texas Rangers – a game he didn’t play in.
According to a published report, an incident in the clubhouse before batting practice – something Hillenbrand described as “humourous and fun” and involving him and other players – prompted manager John Gibbons to ream Hillenbrand out in front of the rest of the team in a closed-door meeting afterward.
Hillenbrand then refused to join his teammates in the dugout and was told by Gibbons during the game that he was off the team.
His former teammates found out after coming off the field, and most were surprised at the decision. Hillenbrand was having another solid year with the club – batting .301 with 12 home runs and 38 RBIs.
The team now has 10 days to trade, release or demote Hillenbrand, and the GM admits he probably won’t get as good a deal now as he might have two months ago.
Hillenbrand was reportedly upset that no one in the Blue Jays’ front office congratulated him for adopting a baby girl last weekend, and said he felt like he’d done something wrong when he took a few days off to go be with his wife and new child.
Ricciardi says the designated hitter’s absence wasn’t a factor, but voiced disappointment that the team didn’t hear from Hillenbrand when he was away. Not surprisingly, both sides have different accounts of what occurred.
The Hillenbrand saga comes at a crucial point in the Blue Jays’ season – they’re sitting in third place in the American League East with a 52-42 record. The second-place New York Yankees visit Toronto for a four-game series starting Thursday.
