TORONTO -- Russell Martin was forced to depart Friday night's 8-5 loss to the A's in the sixth inning because of neck spasms.
The move was made for precautionary reasons, and he is not expected to miss a lot of time. Martin's status is currently being described as day to day.
The injury comes at a rather unfortunate time for the Blue Jays. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (sore hip) and left fielder Michael Saunders (hamstring) were both absent from Friday's game because of injuries. Neither player is expected to require a stint on the 15-day disabled list.
"I just felt like it's something that got progressively worse as the game went along," Martin said. "I felt it before going to the game. I didn't really say anything. It wasn't anything alarming, but as I kept playing, it just kept getting tighter and tighter.
"You don't want to make it worse and make it to lead to something that can potentially cause missing a few games. So I got a lot of treatment done; I feel good right now. We will see how I feel tomorrow morning. But as of right now, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be in there tomorrow."
Martin went 1-for-2 with a double before his departure. The veteran catcher has gotten off to a slow start this season, posting a .146 average and just the one extra-base hit in 16 games.
Josh Thole replaced Martin in the lineup and would start again Saturday afternoon if additional rest is required.