ST. PETERSBURG—When word came down on Tuesday night that Munenori Kawasaki was being sent back to Triple-A Buffalo to make way for the return of Jose Reyes, several Blue Jays players took the time to say their goodbyes.

Mark Buehrle offered Kawasaki a big hug, as did Reyes and Emilio Bonifacio.

“This is the part of the game that sucks,” Buehrle said shortly afterward.

The child-like Kawasaki became an instant fan favourite in Toronto when he joined the club in April to replace Reyes[LINK:], who suffered a sprained ankle on an awkward slide into second base.

The 32-year-old Japanese shortstop was an energetic and zany presence with the Jays and his fun-loving legend grew after an on-field interview following a walk-off double last month, in which he declared: “My name is Munenori Kawasaki. I’m from Japan. I’m Japaneeeeeeese!!!”

He then began to read sports clichees in English from a tiny notebook.

“You feel for the kid,” Jays manager John Gibbons said Tuesday night. “He did a tremendous job. But he’ll be back. Trust me on that one.”

Several Jays players shared their thoughts on Kawasaki this week.

BRETT CECIL

“He might not have the bat or the fielding skills as Reyes, but personality-wise he’s pretty much the same guy. I’ll hate to see him go and I think a lot of guys will say the same thing.”

Favourite Kawasaki moment: “The on-field interview, obviously. I think it’s everybody’s favourite.”

EDWIN ENCARNACION

“He’s a great player and he’s a good dude, man. We love him. He brings a lot of energy. He keeps everybody happy, everybody focused and we enjoy him.”

Favourite Kawasaki moment: “All the time. All the time he’s so funny, so we enjoy all the time with him.”

ADAM LIND

“He plays the game the right way. He plays a great shortstop, has great at-bats. He’s about as good of a replacement as you could have had for your starting shortstop.”

Favourite Kawasaki moment: “It’s got to be the walk-off. Two outs, ninth inning, we’re down by one, it doesn’t get any more clutch than that. Double in the gap. That’s what put him on the map, wasn’t it?”

R.A. DICKEY

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“He’s much more than just a team mascot—he’s a contributing part of this team. He gets the most out of what he has, maybe moreso than anybody in the room. That’s the biggest compliment I can give him.”

Favourite Kawasaki moment: “Probably our comeback win when he hit that walk-off double. Although that’s tied for me with the homer that he hit off Tommy Hunter, because it was just so unexpected. But I think some of my favourite moments are moments in the clubhouse when nobody’s watching him and he’s dancing over there or bowing to people. He’s just got a great personality, very easy-going, very personable. I can’t say enough good things about him.”

J.P. ARENCIBIA

“He’s been an incredible person. He’s brought a spark and excitement. He brings a very legitimate and sincere love for the opportunity to play. His energy is lights out. He gets on base. I feel like he’s in a 3-2 count every at-bat. Defensively he makes all of the routine plays.”

Favourite Kawasaki moment: I would say the walk-off. That was a huge game for us. It’s not that you don’t want anyone else to do it, but when it’s a person like that, who really cares and he’s so excited and you know how much it means to him, that was probably my favourite moment.

AARON LOUP

“As soon as he got here he immediately made an impact. He just brought a life to the team and a different spark that we didn’t have all season. He just kind of uplifted everybody.”

Favourite Kawasaki moment: “I think that interview he had with DeRosa after he hit that game-winning hit that was pretty special.”

MARK BUEHRLE

“I think I’ve let everybody know I love the guy. He’s a great guy the way he handles his business.”

EMILIO BONIFACIO

“Sometimes we sign or I talk to him in English or Spanish—like real slow—and he kind of knows what I’m talking about. He can understand when you talk really slow, whether Spanish or English. Hopefully we can have 26 guys on the roster, but it may be hard.”