Blue Jays outfielder suffers a possible injury at the worst time possible

The Toronto Blue Jays just can't seem to catch a break. Just as it looked like the team was getting hot, and just as it looked like one of their key offensive pieces was starting to break through, they've run into a wall.

It wasn't bad enough that the Blue Jays couldn't get a couple of good innings out of starting pitcher Max Scherzer on Friday night, but they also lost Nathan Lukes in the first inning of their 8-6 defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Guardians. In the first inning Lukes doubled, but pulled up holding his leg as he reached second base. He was removed from the game and was expected to get an MRI on his left hamstring.

While there is still a lot left to know at this point, one encouragin sign, as reported by Blue Jays beat reporter Keegan Matheson, was that manager John Schneider said it "felt cramp-like." And if it was just a cramp that would be the best case scenario for the Blue Jays who can't really bear the brunt of more injuries, especially from a player that was coming on hot.

Blue Jays' Lukes hot streak may be stopped dead in its tracks

Lukes season got off to an awful start. Through his first 13 games, he was 2-for-31 with one walk and six strikeouts. Once the team went to Arizona, Lukes visited a doctor to help with some issues he was experiencing and the results came back that Lukes was dealing with vertigo. After the diagnosis, Lukes received some treatment and all of a sudden he was back to being the player he was in 2025.

In the seven subsequent games, Lukes was 11-for-21 with four doubles, six RBIs and only one strikeout. He was given the lineup a breath of fresh air after they had struggled to put together some consistent performances as a team. The Blue Jays won the last game of the series in Arizona, then won the first two games of their series in LA against the Angels.

It was the classic sign of everything coming together all at once and the Blue Jays needed it, as they were steadily climbing back to .500. However that task has become a bit more daunting as they are now 10-15 and may be without Lukes, pending the results of the MRI. They also have an issue to solve in their rotation about what to do with Scherzer.

The future Hall of Fame pitcher has allowed 19 earned runs in his last 12 innings pitched, giving up six home runs and walking seven while striking out two batters. There are very real questions surrounding how much longer the Blue Jays can stick with Scherzer in a starting role. It was encouraging to see the Blue Jays bats still battling despite the early hole, but it's been a rare occurrence to see them put it all together over a significant stretch this season where the pitching and the hitting are both clicking at the same time.

Trey Yesavage and José Berrios aren't too far away from potentially impacting this club, while George Springer and Addison Barger are also making progress. So while there are signs that the Blue Jays are getting closer and closer to looking more like the team they were last year, they inevitably run into another bad break.

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