TORONTO -- The Blue Jays' middle infield was dealt another blow on Wednesday when Ryan Goins exited a 3-2 win over the Rays because of a laceration on his left arm. The good news is that he appears to have avoided a major injury.
Goins was sent for X-rays after he departed in the bottom of the sixth inning, but they came back negative. He also did not require stitches, despite a noticeable cut on his forearm, and for now, Goins is considered day to day.
That's a positive development for a Blue Jays team that is starting to run out of bodies. Troy Tulowitzki is out for the season because of ligament damage in his right ankle, and the club doesn't have much depth at Triple-A Buffalo. The internal expectation is that Goins came away healthy enough that the Blue Jays will not have to make a roster move.
"It was more numb at the time, I think just because it was smashed, but it's not as bad now," Goins said. "I'll come back tomorrow and we'll figure it all out. ... It's all good. Everything is good. It's just sore now."

Goins' injury occurred in the bottom of the sixth when he was attempting to advance to second base on a wild pitch. Rays shortstop Daniel Robertson accidentally stepped on his left forearm while receiving the ball at second, and the the inadvertent contact led to a lot of clear discomfort.
Blue Jays manager John Gibbons and Toronto's training staff immediately ran onto the field, as Goins rolled around the second-base area in pain after being called out. Following a brief delay, Goins walked off the field, but he was holding his left arm and went directly into the Toronto clubhouse.
Afterward, Goins said there were no hard feelings about being spiked, because it clearly wasn't intentional and instead just an unfortunate "baseball play."
Even a short-term injury to Goins presents the Blue Jays with some issues up the middle. Darwin Barney will temporarily become the starting shortstop and Rob Refsnyder will receive all of the playing time at second base until Goins returns. The problem is that the Blue Jays currently don't have any natural middle infielders on the roster, and Refsnyder is a converted outfielder who typically requires defensive replacements late in games.
Russell Martin and potentially even Steve Pearce could fill in at second base in a pinch, but neither player is an ideal replacement. The middle infield will become more of an issue if Goins is still unable to play Friday afternoon when the Blue Jays open a three-game Interleague series against the Cubs. If Goins does need more time, the Blue Jays may have no choice but to call upon Gregorio Petit or Shane Opitz from Buffalo.
"From what I've heard, he's going to be all right, so that's good news," Barney said. "Plays like that are scary. He made a good read right there, and the catcher made a better play, I guess. Fortunately, for us, it sounds like he's doing OK."