PHOENIX -- The Blue Jays will have to make a final decision over the next 48 hours about the status of left-hander Franklin Morales.
Morales is currently on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo. Morales will reach his maximum of 30 days on assignment Wednesday, and after that he'll need to be activated, released or designated for assignment.
Toronto has yet to reveal its plans for the veteran reliever who has made just two appearances this year with what the club described as "shoulder fatigue."
"No, there has been nothing decided yet, but something is going to have to," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "You can't option him, right? He has been around too long."
Toronto is currently carrying eight relievers in the bullpen, but that is expected to change when starter Marco Estrada returns from the disabled list on Friday. That means the Blue Jays would potentially need to remove two relievers from the 25-man roster to create space for Morales. The top candidates would appear to be lefty Aaron Loup and right-hander Bo Schultz.
The 30-year-old Morales began his rehab assignment with Class A Dunedin on June 21. He has been in Buffalo since June 26 and has allowed one run on four hits over eight innings.
"He's doing very well. We're very optimistic that he's going to be fine and he's feeling fine now," Blue Jays trainer George Poulis said. "We're just waiting for that time to end and the organization will make a decision at that point."
Carrera out with Achilles injury
Blue Jays outfielder Ezequiel Carrera missed his second consecutive game on Tuesday because of soreness in his left Achilles' tendon. The injury is not considered too serious and he's not expected to require a stint on the disabled list, but it's possible he'll be held out until Friday.
"It's something he irritated, just trying to get ahead of it," Poulis said. "He's already feeling much better today. Don't expect that to be anything real long-term."
Happ on the mend
Left-hander J.A. Happ survived a couple of scares during Sunday's outing against the A's when he was struck by a pair of comebackers to the mound. The first line drive struck his left forearm and created a large welt while the second hit his right hamstring.
Happ is not scheduled to pitch again until Sunday, because Toronto has a pair of off-days this week. In this particular case, the extra rest could do him some good.
"J.A. Happ is sore, but he's feeling much better," Poulis said. "He already threw, [and] we expect him to make his next start. He's bruised up, no doubt, but he got lucky.
"When it's an active player, we try to keep him on his regular schedule while we're doing treatment to decrease the pain and inflammation and bruising in the body parts we're treating. You'll see him do his running, all his lifting routine and things like that."