TORONTO -- Kendrys Morales became the latest name added to the Blue Jays' list of walking wounded when he left Tuesday night's 6-0 loss to Cleveland in the seventh inning because of left hamstring tightness.
Morales felt discomfort after running out a ground ball in the bottom of the fourth inning. He did not return for his at-bat in the seventh and will now undergo an MRI on Wednesday morning to determine the full extent of the damage.
The 33-year-old technically is considered day to day, but the Blue Jays won't have a clear timetable for his return until he gets examined. The hope is that he will avoid a stint on the disabled list, but with the way things have been going for Toronto lately, it certainly can't be ruled out.
"I'm not concerned, so far," Morales said through an interpreter after the game. "We're going to do an MRI tomorrow and then we'll see how it's going to go from there. They're going to tell me if it's severe or not."
Even before Morales went down, Toronto's roster had been decimated by injuries. The Blue Jays currently have more than $70 million on the disabled list with the absences of Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki, Russell Martin, J.A. Happ and Aaron Sanchez.
Toronto also is without a long list of role players, including: outfielder Dalton Pompey and right-handers Bo Schultz and Glenn Sparkman. The poor health has taken a toll on the organization's depth, but the Blue Jays have no choice but to continue on.
Infielder/outfielder Steve Pearce replaced Morales as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning, and he'll likely receive the bulk of the playing time at DH during Morales' absence. That would allow Ezequiel Carrera to continue starting in left field with Justin Smoak receiving everyday at-bats at first base.
"It's frustrating for everybody," Morales said of the mounting injuries. "Of course, I want to stay in the game, but it can get worse if I stay out there, so I have to listen to the doctors, and we'll see what's going to happen later."