McGowan lands on DL with strained oblique

ANAHEIM -- The Blue Jays gained one reliever with the return of Sergio Santos on Thursday but lost another, as right-hander Dustin McGowan went back on the 15-day disabled list.

McGowan suffered a strained oblique while pitching against the A's on Monday night. The discomfort became more severe during the ensuing couple of days and he could now miss a significant period of time.

The Blue Jays are more than familiar with oblique injuries. Third baseman Brett Lawrie missed time earlier in the season because of the same problem, and right-hander Brandon Morrow had trouble returning from one last year. It's the type of ailment that's hard to gauge just how long the recovery process will take.

"It's hard to say," said Blue Jays manager John Gibbons of McGowan's time table, adding that he will be completely shut down for at least the next few days. "Those things can get bad. We don't think it is, but they can drag on, too. We don't know yet."

McGowan strained his oblique while pitching to Oakland's Yoenis Cespedes but decided to remain in the game. He faced another two batters in the sixth inning and three more in the seventh.

That would normally be a cause for concern, because the Blue Jays would like to see pitchers disclose a potential injury as soon as it happens, but Gibbons is willing to cut McGowan some slack. The oft-injured reliever entered this season having appeared in just five games since 2008 because of multiple shoulder problems, a knee injury and plantar fasciitis.

There's a level of frustration for McGowan as he attempts to remain on the field for an extended period of time. He has made 16 appearances for the Blue Jays this season, allowing just four earned runs over 17 innings.

"He's different; he has been hurt so much," Gibbons said. "He's probably tired of being hurt. But you have to be smart with it because that can linger, that can turn into a long-term deal."