Jose Bautista Placed on 15-Day DL: Fantasy Impact

Blue Jays star outfielder Jose Bautista left Thursday’s game early. He was later diagnosed with a big toe strain and was placed on the 15-day DL.

This season has not gone the way the Toronto Blue Jays, fans, and fantasy owners were expecting. The team is eighth in runs scored so far this season after a rough month of May. It will be tough to get into the top five after the most recent news. The team announced on Friday afternoon that Jose Bautista will be out at least two weeks with a toe injury.

Bautista suffered the injury Thursday night after crashing into the right field wall. We all appreciate the effort, but the Jays were up by nine runs, so it wasn’t necessary. He was removed from the game and underwent X-rays to determine the significance of it.

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The X-ray confirmed that the toe is not fractured, but he “is expected to undergo a “stress X-ray” and possibly a CT scan to determine the exact cause of the discomfort and extent of the injury,” according to Rotowire.com. He is in a walking boot for the time being.

Jose Bautista is hitting .230/360/.455 with 12 home runs and 41 RBI this season. He has an AL-league leading 48 walks with a modest 49 strikeouts. So, when he does return, he will be an impactful player in a Blue Jays lineup that is starting to heat up.

Obviously, Jose Bautista should remain on your roster. This doesn’t look like a season-alerting injury, but it is serious enough to warrant a DL stint. There are plenty of outfielders on the waiver wire that you can use in his spot.

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Ryan Rua has three home runs and six RBI in his last six games. With the questions around the Texas Rangers’ outfield, Rua has made a case to get more starts. He’s owned in just 11.1 percent of ESPN leagues.

Bautista’s teammates Michael Saunders and Kevin Pillar are heating up. Saunders has 11 hits (three homers) and five RBI in his last eight. Pillar, someone who I said to drop earlier, has four home runs and six RBI over the last five games.

As a deep-league option, Ichiro Suzuki is hitting the ball well. Regardless of what you think of the hits record, he is making great contact with the ball. The only downside is that he isn’t getting regular playing time. He is not playing Friday, which marks his fifth in the team’s last seven games, although he is being used as a pinch hitter.

Next: Carlos Estevez: Waiver Wire Add

Jose Bautista will miss the rest of this month and the beginning of July. Depending on how he progresses, I wouldn’t be surprised if the team holds him out until after the All-Star break. Granted, that would be the worst case scenario, but something to keep in the back of your mind. Until then, Joey Bats will be unavailable for the next two weeks.