Toronto Blue Jays Suffer Injury in Loss Against Tampa Bay Rays

The Toronto Blue Jays can't seem to completely shake their injury bug this season.

Despite getting positive news recently on the recovery of two starting pitchers, Jameson Taillon and Spencer Arrighetti, the Blue Jays might have had another player hit with a potential ailment.

In the top of the fifth inning of an eventual 7-6 loss against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, lead-off hitter and starting center fielder Brett Bateman exited the game due to what was later reported as left hamstring tightness.

Myles Straw entered the game as a substitute for Bateman. Straw was eventually lifted for designated hitter George Springer, who received one at-bat as a pinch-hitter.

Per a post on "X" from the Athletic's Mitch Bannon, Bateman will get an MRI on his hamstring Thursday morning to determine the severity of the injury.

Brett Bateman was removed from tonight’s game against the Rays with right hamstring tightness, the team announced. pic.twitter.com/kKaVVYxo9N

Bateman is one of the recent additions to Toronto's roster. He and shortstop Ty Southisene were acquired by the Blue Jays in a trade with the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 2 in return for right-handed starting pitcher Kevin Gausman.

Toronto selected Bateman's contract from the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons on Aug. 7. His first game with the Blue Jays marked his major league debut. He was originally picked by the Cubs in the eighth round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Minnesota.

In 11 games in the majors with Toronto, he's slashed .271/.314/.313 with a .627 OPS and hit two doubles with four RBIs.

Following the Blue Jays' loss against the Rays, Toronto is one game out of the final wild card spot in the American League. The Texas Rangers are a half-game out of the playoff spot and the Minnesota Twins currently occupy the final AL spot.

If Bateman lands on the injured list, he would mark the fourth Toronto outfielder to land on the injured list. Currently, Addison Barger and Anthony Santander are on the 60-day IL and will miss the rest of the season and Jonatan Clase is on the 10-day IL.

The Blue Jays have been unable to properly shake the injury bug all season and will hope that Bateman won't be the latest to succumb to it. If he does land on the shelf, Toronto will have to go deep into its organizational outfield depth to find a starting outfielder, which is a role that will likely be taken by recently-acquired player Daz Cameron.