Blue Jays place Edwin Encarnacion on DL, activate Nolan Reimold

In a move we all knew was coming but were hopeful would take a turn for the better, the Toronto Blue Jays placed first baseman/designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion on the 15-day disabled list. The team also activated outfielder Nolan Reimold in a corresponding roster move, according an official announcement on Twitter.

Encarnacion strained his right quad muscle while trying to leg out a ground ball in the first inning of Saturday’s loss to Oakland. Upon running through the bag, the slugger proceeded to hop on his other leg before coming to rest on the ground for several minutes.

The move to put Encarnacion on the DL comes as no surprise, as multiple outlets (including ESPN) reported Monday morning that Encarnacion would miss 2-4 weeks while nursing the injury. Unfortunately, that will take him out of the All-Star Game, where he was selected to join the American League squad as an alternate.

In the corresponding move, the Blue Jays activated outfielder Nolan Reimold, who the team had claimed off waivers on Sunday.

The 30-year-old Reimold will give the Blue Jays the right-handed outfield bat it had been looking for, as he owns a 102 wRC+ and a career slash-line of .252/.327/.766. However, health has always been his biggest hurdle, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Reimold can man right field if the Blue Jays choose to keep Jose Bautista at first base for a few more games while he nurses a sore hamstring.