Jose Bautista to the DL, Blue Jays recall Ceciliani

Jose Bautista injured his left big toe on Thursday when he collided with the right-field wall

The Toronto Blue Jays will be without Jose Bautista for a minimum of 15 days. The right-fielder has been placed on the disabled list with a left toe injury. Bautista’s X-rays reportedly came back negative.

Outfielder Darrell Ceciliani has been recalled from the triple-A Buffalo Bisons in his place while Ezequiel Carrera is expected to take over for Bautista.

After pushing for a spot on the opening day roster with a dynamite spring training, Ceciliani has struggled to recapture that form in the International League regular season. After battling an injury, Ceciliani has appeared in just 33 games where he’s hit .217.

The younger Dalton Pompey was another option for the Blue Jays, but the club’s decision to bypass him for Ceciliani further indicates that Toronto intends to get Pompey well seasoned in triple-A and await the right moment for his major league re-emergence.

Carrera is enjoying his finest season in the majors, though drawing hard conclusions from his 99 plate appearances should be done cautiously. The lefty bat is, however, hitting .330 with four doubles, two home runs and five RBIs.

Tonight in the series opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Carrera will lead off. Expect further updates on the status of Bautista to come shortly.

— UPDATE: The team is officially calling the toe injury a sprain, and more tests will be needed before an official diagnosis can be given