Blue Jays lose another key piece to injury as season winds down

The Toronto Blue Jays are facing the injury bug once again.

With just 18 games remaining in their regular season schedule as the team makes a push to the playoffs, every game means just a little bit more these days.

Today, the team announced that first baseman Brandon Belt was placed on the 10-day injured list with a back problem, officially diagnosed as lumbar spine muscle spasms, with Nathan Lukes being called up as his replacement.

Belt has a .251 batting average with 80 hits, 16 home runs, 38 RBIs and 50 runs scored in 97 games for the Blue Jays this season. Belt signed a one-year deal in Toronto this past offseason after an 11-year career with the San Francisco Giants where he won a pair of World Series titles in 2012 and 2014, and has quickly become a fan favourite of Jays fans.

Meanwhile, Lukes, a rookie, is batting .200 with five hits, two RBIs, and four runs scored in 28 games for the Blue Jays this season, making 25 appearances at the plate but mostly subbing in as a defensive replacement or pinch runner.

Belt joins Toronto regulars in catcher Danny Jansen and third baseman Matt Chapman on the 10-day injured list, while pitchers Adam Cimber and Hagen Danner are on the 60-day list, as is infielder prospect Otto Lopez.

Toronto currently sits third in the American League East and second in the AL Wild Card race, sitting just half a game up of the Texas Rangers after losing to them on Monday night by a 10-4 score.

Toronto and Texas face off again tonight at 7:07 pm, hopefully with a larger crowd in attendance than last night’s season-low crowd of  23,451.

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