For a man that reluctantly faced up to the media on Monday prior to the Blue Jays game against the White Sox and opened by stating he had nothing to say about his damaged right shoulder, Jose Bautista sure had a lot to say.

The cortisone shot he received on Sunday was as much about quality of life as it was getting back into right field, being able to play defensively, as well as swing the bat.

The questions have remained since Bautista aggravated an existing injury to his right shoulder on April 21, sat out a couple of games, then came back as a designated hitter, the role he has filled every day he has started since then. Why did it take so long to decide on a cortisone shot, when he did not even pick up a ball to throw again until a week ago? Is there worse damage than shoulder inflammation, and is surgery a possibility at any time? Have they called Adam Lind’s mother?

“I have inflammation. I have inflammation inside the shoulder joint which causes an impingement,” Bautista stated with conviction. “The inflammation was too slow to subside. Oral medicine didn’t work. We’re trying again, the least invasive but most aggressive next step.”

Bautista hinted that his quality of life has been suffering because of the intense pain in his shoulder, even away from the field, and continued every night trying to sleep. That he was concerned about the long-term effect of the pain medication he was taking. That may have been a personal factor in finally opting for a cortisone shot some 33 days after the actual injury occurred. Surgery is another possibility, but obviously one that is far down on his priority list.

“That would be exploratory (surgery),” he explained. “Which is not something I would do right now, unless my career was in jeopardy. Because again, when you take pictures, you look at the MRIs and the x-rays, there’s not much there other than the inflammation. It would be pretty hard for all these doctors and experts to have looked at my MRIs, to not see anything. If you do an exploratory surgery it would have to be as a last resort. It makes no sense unless it gets to the point where I cannot play anymore and this would be the only way for me to get back on the field.”

It seems odd and unfair that a guy like Red Sox slugger David Ortiz can play strictly as a DH and get all that love while Bautista, who is as integral to the Jays’ lineup as Ortiz is to the Red Sox, can be so criticized for only swinging the bat, while Big Papi is headed to Cooperstown. Bautista was asked if that was fair, and if fans and the media were making too much of his current one dimension.

“That’s a weird and difficult question to answer because I want to be out on the field,” Bautista stated. “I’m a complete player and I feel like I can contribute on both sides, as long as I’m healthy. Right now I’m not, so I can only DH. Because of the makeup of our team and the kind of position players that we have — when we have (Dioner) Navarro, (Justin) Smoak, (Danny) Valencia, (Chris) Colabello and Edwin (Encarnacion), it’s tough if we throw myself into that mix.

“It’s too many players . . . in the same role. It definitely creates a log-jam and lack of bodies to go out in the outfield. I don’t know if (the media is) making a big deal out of it or not. I want to be back out in the field myself, just worse than any of you guys or any of the fans.”

There is another theory that has sprung up among conspiracy buffs. One that says the timing of Bautista’s cortisone shot is not because they ran out of other ideas, but is to give him the greatest chance to play the outfield when the Jays head on to inter-league play in Washington in seven days and travel to New York to face the Mets in 21 days. Because in those parks, there is no DH.

One medical website that explains the effects of cortisone suggested that a shot, especially to someone like an athlete, can be effective for over three weeks and that after three cortisone shots, the benefits can become iffy. By then, of course, Bautista is hoping the shoulder inflammation will be gone. But does the injured slugger see Nationals Park on June 1 as a target date for his return to the field?

“That’s the ideal scenario,” Bautista said. “Going to the NL, wanting to be available for more than just pinch-hit duties, is something that was considered, as well, for the timing of this shot.”

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Being just the second day after cortisone was administered, Bautista was not in Monday’s starting lineup, which allowed his friend Encarnacion to DH for a rare time since Bautista’s injury. But the fact Encarnacion is forced to play the field every day rather than rest some of his own aches and pains has not caused friction between teammates in the heart of the Jays’ order.

“He doesn’t really care, he’s been one of the most supportive guys,” Bautista explained. “He said for me to take my time and make sure I’m healthy and I’m not going to hurt myself any worse. Obviously, he’s one of the guys that wants me on the field all the time.”

Yes, it’s still a long row to hoe for Bautista in getting to the point where he is a pain-free and carefree right fielder. The throwing program that took him to 60 feet has halted temporarily, which gives him not much time to be back in the outfield against the Nationals. But he will DH on Tuesday.

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