Toronto Blue Jays star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki was placed on the disabled list due to a quadriceps strain on Saturday, as the team announced. It’s unclear when he will return.
Continue for updates.
Tulowitzki Suffers Injury on HBP
Saturday, May 28
Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Tulowitzki tweaked his quad after falling down on a hit-by-pitch on Friday, per Scott MacArthur of TSN.
Tulowitzki said it’s a low-grade strain and that he expects to be back in 15 days, per Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star.
Tulowitzki, 31, is one of the big bats in Toronto’s scary lineups. Between the Colorado Rockies and Blue Jays last year, he hit .280 with 17 home runs and 70 RBI in 128 games. He struggled in Toronto, however, hitting just .239 with five home runs and 17 RBI in 41 games.
He offered a mixed bag in the postseason, batting .205 with two home runs and 11 RBI in 11 contests.
That left two major concerns for Tulowitzki coming into the 2016 campaign: Could he stay healthy, and would he dispel the notion that he was far less effective away from Coors Field?
He’s hitting .204 with eight home runs and 23 RBI in 46 games this season.
Health has always been a major issue for the star shortstop, who hasn’t played in 140 or more games since 2011. When he stays on the field, he’s one of the game’s top options at the position and one of the most dangerous players at the plate in baseball. Landing him last year was supposed to give the Blue Jays something of a modern Murderer’s Row, alongside Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion.
It remains to be seen if that will materialize, however. If Tulo’s latest injury setback is serious, it will be a blow to Toronto’s lineup, though the team obviously has the sluggers to remain dangerous.
With Tulowitzki sidelined, Darwin Barney will take over as the team’s starting shortstop unless the Blue Jays trade for another option at the position.
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