TORONTO — Wondering how Devon Travis is dealing with his latest significant injury setback? The hard-luck Blue Jays second baseman sums it up in just three words.

“I’ll be back,” Travis said Wednesday at the Rogers Centre.

Travis is in an all-too-familiar situation. Injured, watching his Blue Jays teammates from the dugout, when the games start to matter most.

While the stretch run of the 2017 season hasn’t quite arrived, the Blue Jays find themselves amid a crucial portion of their schedule that could very well determine whether a third consecutive playoff berth remains attainable. And once again, Travis isn’t available. Another surgery on the same knee (his third surgery in as many seasons) forced him to the 60-day disabled list last week.

How is Travis getting through the latest setback? The only way he knows how.

“When you’re gone, the best thing you can do is do your best to be a good teammate and just being here in the dugout, it’s nice,” Travis said in the Toronto clubhouse.

The young second baseman’s injury history has been a tough pill to swallow, especially for Travis. He finds solace, however, in being able to help his teammates in whatever way he can.

“Being able to slap hands when they come in the dugout, any questions, or anything I can ever help with, it’s nice to be around.”

Over the course of his career, the 26-year-old has missed 213 of a possible 486 regular season games (44%).

The injuries that plague Travis have taught him to appreciate how fortunate he has been in the grand scheme of things.

“We’re so lucky and blessed to call this our job that subtle reminders when you get hurt and you’re away from the game, they definitely smack you on the back a little bit … When you’re away from the game, you really get to see and you really get to feel how much you love the game and how much the game really impacts your life,” Travis added.

Despite the setbacks in his career, Travis has tried to remain optimistic throughout the rehabilitation process, albeit annoyed at times, too. When you look at Travis’ injury report, you can’t help but understand why.

“You know, it’s frustrating, it (rehab) actually just seems to get more and more frustrating every time you do it … it doesn’t really get easier in the sense of dealing with it, but it does get easier in the sense of making a comeback for sure.”

And a comeback is exactly what’s on Travis’ mind. While there’s no set timetable on his return, Travis did mention he’s a lot closer to 100% than zero.

JIMENEZ 'HAD EVERYTHING WORKING'

Caleb Joseph was eating pizza 20 minutes before game time when told he was replacing Welington Castillo behind the plate for the Orioles on Thursday night at the Rogers Centre.

Castillo sprained his knee after slipping on the stairs heading into the Orioles dugout, forcing Joseph to catch Ubaldo Jimenez. The inconsistent Jimenez brought his A-game — an eight-inning, two-hit gem.

“There wasn’t a bad pitch you could call with Ubaldo tonight,” the veteran backup said. “He had everything working: Fastball, slider up, slider down, split, straight-changeup, curveball even.

“I don’t remember ever having this much fun, because you see in your mind when a pitch is about to come and it actually comes to fruition, every time.”

Added O’s manager Buck Showalter: “I think that’s the best game I’ve seen him (Jimenez) pitch.”

jweinstein@postmedia.com

@joshhweinstein