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Bret Hendricks of Hendricks Sports Management said in an interview Thursday that no formal grievance has yet been filed, and also made clear that Tolleson continues to work toward a return to the field.

He was responding to a comment made Wednesday by Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos, who told reporters, "Steve Tolleson just decided he didn’t want to play anymore," as part of a larger answer about how the injury to Devon Travis led to the acquisition of Cliff Pennington.

Anthopoulos declined to comment further on the matter Thursday.[

The Blue Jays designated Tolleson for assignment July 1, the day after his rehabilitation assignment from a groin injury expired, with the intention of outrighting him to triple-A Buffalo. The previous night he went 1-for-3 against Gwinnett, the second straight night he appeared in a rehab game.

At issue is whether he was ready to return from his groin injury at the time he was designated. If still injured, then that isn’t allowed under rules of the collective bargaining agreement while a player is on the big-league disabled list, which Tolleson was.

The Blue Jays placed him on the temporarily inactive list July 7, which allows teams to not pay players, but his salary was reinstated shortly after when he reported a hamstring injury, as well.

The matter "is currently subject to a collective bargaining process that allows the union to discuss this with the commissioner’s office," said Hendricks. "The union has investigated the situation regarding his designation."

Boogie! wrote:yeah i was curious as to what happened with tolleson... didnt even realize he was off the team i figured he was injured or something... but thinking about it now, he easily couldve been the backup backup 2nd baseman instead of trading for cliff pennington.

The_Hater wrote:

Boogie! wrote:yeah i was curious as to what happened with tolleson... didnt even realize he was off the team i figured he was injured or something... but thinking about it now, he easily couldve been the backup backup 2nd baseman instead of trading for cliff pennington.

Please, Cliff Pennington is a significantly better player than Tolleson. And he can play more defensive positions effectively.

People need to stop grading Pennignton's entire worth on a 20 AB sample. It's almost like the rest of his career never happened.

RalphWiggum wrote:

The_Hater wrote:

Boogie! wrote:yeah i was curious as to what happened with tolleson... didnt even realize he was off the team i figured he was injured or something... but thinking about it now, he easily couldve been the backup backup 2nd baseman instead of trading for cliff pennington.

Please, Cliff Pennington is a significantly better player than Tolleson. And he can play more defensive positions effectively.

People need to stop grading Pennignton's entire worth on a 20 AB sample. It's almost like the rest of his career never happened.

The guy is a steady defensive 2nd baseman, other than that he's crap. This isn't based solely off 20 at bats it's based off his last few seasons. He had a couple seasons where he played ok/not terribly which seems to be what you are focusing on. I think focusing on what he's done lately makes more sense in critiquing him today. If he was a Tulo type who has had sustained excellence I'd agree people are overreacting.

Tolleson said he doesn’t know why Anthopoulos accused him of quitting.

“I have a wife and two kids, and over the last three months I haven’t had an opportunity to be with them because of my injuries, going from doctor to doctor, from Florida to Buffalo, and travelling with the Buffalo team, trying to focus on getting healthy,” Tolleson said.

“If I would have wanted to quit, I would have gone home to be with my family.”

Tolleson batted .253 in 109 games for the Jays last year and .268 in 19 games before his injury this season. He said this summer has been the most difficult of his 11-year pro career.

“I would be lying to you if I didn’t say this course of injuries has broken me down as a person — it broke me down to tears quite a few times,” he said.

Asked whether he was medically fit to play when the Jays designated him for assignment, he said he would have played if he was healthy.

“The players’ union and the commissioner’s office are sharing facts and sorting all that out,” he said. “If I was medically ready to play, anyone who knows me, the 25 guys in the (Jays’) clubhouse, and the 40 or so who have been through the club in the Triple-A clubhouse in Buffalo, will tell you about my desire to play this game.”

Tolleson said he has been taking batting practice with the Buffalo club for the past week and has tested his hamstring successfully in drills over the past few days. He said he is “very close” to being able to play again.

He was disappointed that his strained relationship with the Jays had become public, he said, especially in light of the the positive vibes created by the “amazing team” Anthopoulos has constructed.