Maicer Izturis hit his first homer of the year Monday off the White Sox's Gavin Floyd. The bad news for Izturis is that the Jays don't trust him in shortstop. The good news is that the Jays also don't seem to trust Emilio Bonifacio at second. Izturis has been a fixture at the position lately, so despite his poor start, he's still worth using in AL-only leagues.

Maicer Izturis went 0-for-4 on Sunday, leaving him with a .194 average in 31 at-bats. The odd thing is that Izturis has yet to strike out this season, yet he's still been pretty awful. He also struggled offensively this spring, and he hasn't been as steady as usual on defense. The Jays badly need him to step up with Jose Reyes down, but they don't appear to trust him at shortstop.

Maicer Izturis went 0-for-3 on Tuesday to drop his spring average back down to .220. Emilio Bonifacio has outplayed Izturis this spring, but there will be room for both in the lineup initially with Brett Lawrie starting off on the disabled list. Izturis is expected to play third base against righties until Lawrie comes back.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said it's possible Maicer Izturis and Emilio Bonifacio will share second base this season. "It could turn out that we won't say, 'Hey, this guy's our second baseman this year.' We can just use them both. Or we could name one guy [as] the primary guy," he said. Izturis is a much more reliable defender than Bonifacio, but Bonifacio offers much more in the fantasy department due to his stolen base upside. Both players figure to play a lot.

Maicer Izturis went 2-for-3 with a double, five RBI and a walk as the Blue Jays crushed the Yankees 17-5 on Thursday. All five RBI came as the Blue Jays built a 15-1 lead in the first two innings. The offense calmed down after that, scoring single runs in the third and fourth and then going scoreless the rest of the way. Izturis, who is expected to serve as the Blue Jays' primary second baseman, entered with a .143 average and one RBI in 28 at-bats this spring.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said that the second base job will be an open competition between Maicer Izturis and Emilio Bonifacio. Gibbons acknowledged that Izturis "probably has the edge," but the Jays aren't going to promise him anything. Bonifacio can also play shortstop, third base and all three outfield positions, so he shouldn't struggle for playing time this season, even with an unclear role.

Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Wednesday that Maicer Izturis is the favorite to be the team's starting second baseman. Anthopoulos views Emilio Bonifacio as more of a super utility player. Izturis, who was signed to a three-year, $9 million deal earlier this month, batted just .256/.320/.315 with two home runs and 20 RBI in 319 plate appearances this past season for the Angels and has always had trouble staying healthy.

Blue Jays signed INF Maicer Izturis to a three-year, $10 million contract with a club option for 2016. The length of the agreement is nice for the switch-hitting infielder but the money is far from outrageous for the Blue Jays. In other words, it seems like a pretty well-crafted agreement for both sides. Izturis is capable of playing solid defense at three different positions and provides a nice element of speed. He's likely to see regular action at second base with Toronto in 2013.

The Blue Jays are close to an agreement with infielder Maicer Izturis, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Izturis batted just .256/.320/.315 with two home runs and 20 RBI in 319 plate appearances this past season for the Angels, but he can play all around the infield and should fit nicely on the Blue Jays' bench. The 32-year-old is doubtful to carry much fantasy value next summer.

Maicer Izturis returned to action on Friday September 21.