Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki throws out Eric Hosmer of the Kansas City Royals during the third inning of Game 4 of the American League Championship Series in Toronto on Oct. 20, 2015.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
The Toronto Blue Jays released veteran shortstop Troy Tulowitzki on Tuesday.
The 34-year-old missed the entire 2018 season after undergoing surgery to remove bone spurs from both heels. Tulowitzki had two years and US$38 million in guaranteed money remaining on his contract.
“Through many conversations with Troy and his representative Paul Cohen, and with consideration to what is in the best interest of both sides, we made the decision to release Troy today,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said in a release.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Richard Urena are in the mix for the team’s shortstop job in 2019 and prospect Bo Bichette is progressing through the system.
Atkins said last week that Tulowitzki, who has been working out recently with college players, was recovering well but that it was too early to say when he’d be ready for big-league play.
Over 12 seasons with Toronto and Colorado, Tulowitzki has a career batting average of .290 with 224 home runs and 779 runs batted in.