Mar 13, 2013; Bradenton, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates mascot Parrot taunts Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar during the seventh inning of a spring training game at McKechnie Field. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

While nothing has been made official by the team as of yet, it certainly looks like the Toronto Blue Jays have made a decision on whether or not Colby Rasmus could be heading to the disabled list.

If I read correctly into the various buzz flying around Twitter, it appears that Rasmus is indeed heading to the DL and that everyone’s favorite working-man prospect Kevin Pillar is going to get the well-deserved call-up.

Don’t believe me, just listen to the praise being flung at Pillar from his teammates throughout the Blue Jays farm system. If these aren’t enough to cement the fact that he’s receiving the call-up, I don’t know what else is.

Huge shout out to @KPILLAR4! Most deserving player out there. The best pure baseball player I have ever played with! #BlueJays — Marcus Stroman (@MStrooo7) August 14, 2013

Congrats to @KPILLAR4 on making his major league debut tonight!! #show — Michael Crouse (@_crouse_) August 14, 2013

Congrats to the shark, @KPILLAR4 on making his MLB debut. Never seen someone play the game harder. Well deserved buddy! — Noah Syndergaard (@Noahsyndergaard) August 14, 2013

“The best pure baseball player I have ever played with.”

“Well deserved and definitely earned.”

“Best player I’ve ever seen.”

Those are some pretty strong critiques from guys that are also in the middle of trying to earn their own call-ups. They are a testament to just how hard of a worker Pillar is and how he’s defied the so-called ceiling that the “experts” have set for him throughout his career. Hell, we’ve shot down our fair share of those comparisons ourselves.

A 3-year pro, Pillar has shot through the Blue Jays farm system, far exceeding the expectations the team had of their 32 round pick in the 2011 draft. All the 24-year-old has done is hit his way through the system, and his efforts were simply getting too difficult to overlook any longer.

Year Age Tm Lev G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OPS 2011 22 Bluefield Rk 60 256 236 44 82 17 3 7 37 8 10 36 .347 .911 2012 23 2 Teams A-A+ 128 553 499 65 161 28 6 6 91 51 40 70 .323 .813 2012 23 Lansing A 86 375 335 49 108 20 4 5 57 35 35 53 .322 .841 2012 23 Dunedin A+ 42 178 164 16 53 8 2 1 34 16 5 17 .323 .754 2013 24 2 Teams AA-AAA 123 545 505 74 155 39 6 9 57 23 31 70 .307 .814 2013 24 New Hampshire AA 71 327 304 44 95 20 2 5 30 15 19 31 .313 .802 2013 24 Buffalo AAA 52 218 201 30 60 19 4 4 27 8 12 39 .299 .834 3 Seasons 311 1354 1240 183 398 84 15 22 185 82 81 176 .321 .832 View Original Table

Generated 8/14/2013. Provided by Baseball-Reference.com Generated 8/14/2013.

At the very least, this promotion should add some excitement to a lackluster month of August and start what should be a lengthy evaluation period for the club’s top prospects.

Good luck Mr. Pillar. We’re looking forward to seeing your continued success.

UPDATE:

Shi David of Sportsnet.CA has confirmed the call-up.