Blue Jays place Gurriel on DL, recall Barnes

The Toronto Blue Jays placed infielder Lourdes Gurriel on the 10-day disabled list on Wednesday. Photo Credit: Amanda Fewer

By Andrew Hendriks

Canadian Baseball Network

After undergoing an MRI in Oakland on Tuesday, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has been placed on the 10-day disabled list with both a high left ankle sprain and a grade 1 sprain of his left knee.

In a corresponding move, RHP Danny Barnes was recalled from triple-A Buffalo and will be available out of the Blue Jays' bullpen in their series finale against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday afternoon. 

Relegated to the 10-day DL with left knee tendinitis on June 22, Barnes made four rehab appearances with the Buffalo Bisons and allowed three earned runs over 4 1/3 innings of work, striking out eight of the 16 batters he faced since being cleared to pitch on July 24.

In 32 games with the Blue Jays earlier this season, the 28-year-old product of  Manhasset, NY went 2-1 with a WHIP of 1.60.

From a historical standpoint, Gurriel's injury couldn't have come at a worse time.

Prior to being assisted off the field by Toronto's medical staff following an awkward in-between slide at second base on Sunday, the 24-year-old had just picked up his third hit of the afternoon. The 3-for-5 performance marked Gurriel's 11th consecutive multi-hit contest, which tied Ross Barnes' 1876 record for most by a rookie in major league history.

Benefiting from an inflated BABIP of .456, Gurriel Jr. has slashed .423/.438/.648 over 71 at-bats since returning from the minor leagues on July 2. For the season, he's now posted an OPS of .844 across 38 MLB games.

Spotted walking without a limp in Oakland, he's expected to miss the next 2-6 weeks and, barring any setbacks, should be able to rejoin the team after rosters expand in September.

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