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Travis concerned about left shoulder irritation

Blue Jays 2B says injury feels 'pretty similar' to ailment that forced him to miss over a month earlier this season

TORONTO -- Devon Travis was scheduled to have an MRI after a shoulder injury forced him from Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Phillies following the second inning.

Travis took the field for the third, but after a brief conference with Blue Jays trainer George Poulis and manager John Gibbons, the rookie second baseman came out with what the club called "left shoulder irritation."

Travis told reporters after the game that he was concerned the injury is the same kind of shoulder strain that caused him to miss more than a month back in May. He had originally tried to play though that ailment, in the same shoulder, but it greatly affected his production and required a stint on the disabled list to heal completely.

"It felt pretty similar," a visibly dejected Travis said of the pain he felt when he swung during his second at-bat.

Video: PHI@TOR: Travis opens scoring with leadoff homer

Losing Travis again would be a serious blow to the Blue Jays' playoff push. He was the newly appointed leadoff man for the first time on Tuesday after the team traded Jose Reyes to the Rockies. The 24-year-old made his presence felt immediately with a leadoff homer, but he was removed an inning later in obvious pain.

"He felt it in the same area [as his previous injury]," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "It got him pretty good."

If Travis -- who's hitting .304 with eight homers and 35 RBIs -- is forced to miss time, Ryan Goins is the logical replacement at second base. While Goins is capable of flashing a stellar glove, his performance at the plate is less than desirable. Goins is hitting .221 with a pair of homers and 25 RBIs this season. He had a sac fly Tuesday.

Video: PHI@TOR: Goins nabs Ruf with excellent tag

"It would be devastating to lose him, but let's not jump ahead of the diagnosis here and wait to see what the doctor said," said Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, who also left Tuesday's game, albeit with a leg cramp.

Bautista dismisses injury as minor leg cramp

Video: PHI@TOR: Gibbons on Bautista and Travis injuries

Travis said the timing of the injury couldn't be worse.

"Sixty-one games to go, this is a team built to win, my job is to be in there doing all I can to help the team win," he said.

Jamie Ross is an associate reporter for MLB.com.
Read More: Toronto Blue Jays, Devon Travis