The Toronto Blue Jays are barely hanging on to their playoff hopes, and now one of the breakout stars of the team’s late-season push is sidelined at the worst possible time.
Brett Bateman is out of the lineup for the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles after injuring his right hip while making an impressive sliding catch Monday night.
There is some good news, though. An MRI showed inflammation but no structural damage, according to Jays manager John Schneider, so Bateman remains day-to-day for now. The Jays will wait to see how Bateman feels after Wednesday before determining whether he can return for their final series of the season against the Cincinnati Reds.
The 24-year-old has emerged as one of the surprises of Toronto’s season since making his major-league debut in August. The Jays acquired Bateman and infielder Ty Southisene from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for veteran pitcher Kevin Gausman at the trade deadline, and Bateman wasted little time making a good impression.
Through his first 38 MLB games, Bateman is batting .320 with a .394 on-base percentage and an .807 OPS, so his injury adds another layer of uncertainty for a team already dealing with major health concerns.
Ace Dylan Cease is currently sidelined with inflammation in his right shoulder after a noticeable drop in velocity prompted an MRI. Like Bateman, Cease received some good news from the imaging: there was no structural damage, and he won’t need surgery (still, the 30-year-old will miss his scheduled Wednesday start against Baltimore).
Cease has posted an 11-6 record with a 2.40 ERA and 239 strikeouts across 169 innings this season. Schneider has left open the possibility that Cease might pitch against Cincinnati this weekend, but said that would depend both on how Cease feels and whether the game still carries postseason significance.
And the injury list also includes another Jays rookie story. Outfielder Rudy Martin Jr. finally reached the majors earlier this month after a 12-year journey to the big leagues, but was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain just three days after his call-up! Martin stole 45 bases in the minors this season and has 239 over his minor-league career.
Some good news: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. left Sunday’s game against the Texas Rangers with lower-back tightness and missed Monday’s series opener in Baltimore. He was initially left out of Wednesday afternoon’s lineup but was added shortly before Game 1, returning to first base and batting second.
The Jays enter Wednesday with a 77-80 record and five games remaining. After both the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox won Tuesday night, Toronto’s path to the playoffs would require the Jays to win all five of their remaining games while either Cleveland or Chicago loses all five of theirs.
Toronto will play two games in Baltimore Wednesday, then return home for its final three games of the regular season against Cincinnati beginning Friday.