Blue Jays place Kevin Pillar, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on the disabled list

Following a messy loss to the Boston Red Sox, the Blue Jays made a slew of roster moves, including putting two key players on the short term disabled list.

As first reported by Mike Wilner of Sportsnet, and later confirmed by an official team release, the Blue Jays have placed infielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on the 7-day concussion disabled list and have placed outfielder Kevin Pillar on the 10-day disabled list. In corresponding moves, the team has also activated left-handed starter Jamie Garcia and right-handed reliever Ryan Tepera.

Gurriel was involved in a scary collision with Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez (who was also placed on the 10-day DL with a right ankle sprain) on Saturday. As Rodriguez was running over to cover first base, Gurriel slid head first, causing Rodriguez to hop over him to avoid a collision.

Unfortunately for both men, that was not the case. Rodriguez’s foot accidentally knocked Gurriel in the back of the head, while the pitcher landed awkwardly on his right ankle, rolling it painfully and being taken out of the game immediately.

Gurriel appeared to be fine and actually stayed in the game. Blue Jays trainers, alongside skipper John Gibbons, did some concussion tests and deemed him fit to stay in the ballgame. At this point, it’s evident that this move is strictly precautionary, as concussions cannot be taken lightly, especially with a young player. According to Baseball Toronto’s Keegan Matheson, Gurriel felt nauseous post-game and had a headache.

Pillar, who reportedly showed up at the clubhouse with his arm in a sling Sunday, suffered a sternoclavicular joint sprain while making an outstanding diving catch during the third inning on Saturday. Pillar was soon replaced by Dwight Smith Jr. in the top of the fourth and was taken for imaging after the game.

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In layman’s terms, the sternoclavicular joint is the connection point between the sternum and the collarbone and is commonly injured when the upper body experiences trauma. For Pillar, here’s hoping that he takes ample time to rest and recover, as this injury is not only an unusual one for a baseball player, but could also be severe in the long term if not dealt with in an efficient fashion.

On the other side of the transaction, pitchers Jaime Garcia and Ryan Tepera have been activated from the 10-day disabled list. Tepera, who went on the DL on June 30th with right shoulder inflammation was recently seen working out with the team in Atlanta and was expected to return soon after the conclusion of that series.

Garcia, who is reportedly set to head to the bullpen following his return, was injured on June 23rd with shoulder tenderness. On the season, he’s pitched to a 6.16 ERA through 61.1 innings and has struck out 56 while walking 31.

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While Tepera figures to return to his vital role in the Blue Jays bullpen, it remains to be seen just how much Garcia will appear as a reliever. Either way, let’s hope that the aforementioned injured Jays heal up in a hurry, and can use the All-Star break to re-calibrate themselves before the second half of the season.