The Toronto Blue Jays entered Wednesday looking to make it two straight wins against the Tampa Bay Rays and clinch the series at Tropicana Field. Toronto was already shorthanded, with first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sidelined and designated hitter George Springer receiving a scheduled day off and serving as a pinch hitter off the bench.
Ernie Clement was also unavailable and manager John Schneider confirmed before the game that he was dealing with an illness (h/t Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet).
Despite the absences, the Blue Jays battled back after falling behind 6-1, scoring four runs in the fifth inning to pull within one. But with Toronto trailing 7-6 in the sixth, however, another concerning moment emerged.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Brett Bateman appeared to experience discomfort after running out a groundball to end the top half of the inning.
The Blue Jays subsequently announced that Bateman had been removed from the game with right hamstring tightness. The 24-year-old started in center field and went 0-for-2 before exiting.
Bateman’s injury is another setback for Toronto. The club acquired him from the Chicago Cubs before the trade deadline as part of the Kevin Gausman trade. The rookie had quickly established himself as a valuable option in center field after hitting .311 with a .429 on-base percentage and .845 OPS in 84 Triple-A games before joining Toronto.
With Guerrero still on the injured list and Clement’s availability for the series finale uncertain because of his illness, Toronto could be even more shorthanded when they take the field on Thursday.
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The Blue Jays entered Wednesday 62-65 and remain in the American League playoff race, but they need virtually everything to go right down the stretch. Losing Bateman for any significant time would make that challenge even more difficult as Toronto concludes its road trip through Tampa Bay and the New York Yankees.
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