TORONTO -- After he was hit by a pitch in the sixth inning, Troy Tulowitzki has a small chip fracture in his thumb, manager John Gibbons said after Toronto's 6-2 loss to Baltimore on Sunday, and the team will evaluate the shortstop on Monday to see how he feels and if he can grip a bat.
Tulowitzki was hit in the right hand by a 93-mph fastball from Orioles starter Chris Tillman, and he exited before the start of the eighth.
Although he momentarily remained in the game after an on-field visit by the team training staff and Gibbons -- even recording the final out of the Orioles' half of the seventh -- Tulowitzki felt discomfort when trying to grip his bat.

"I could throw but I wasn't able to grip a bat," said Tulowitzki, whose spot was due up third in the home half of the eighth. "I couldn't take my at-bat there. If I was good enough to go, I would have definitely been out there."
The Blue Jays travel to Houston and start a four-game series with the Astros on Monday, and Tulowitzki said he will attempt to grip the bat and throw the ball prior to the opener.
"They told me just to see how it feels tomorrow," Tulowitzki said. "I'll come to the field, see how it feels, and hopefully get that inflammation out of there. If I can throw and if I can grip a bat, then we'll see how long it takes. Hopefully not too long."
The 31-year-old finished his afternoon 1-for-2, hitting his 18th home run, off the fifth-deck façade against Tillman in the fourth inning.

Tulowtizki did miss three weeks with a leg injury earlier in the season, but he has been a key cog during Toronto's strong month of July. In 32 games since coming off the disabled list, Tulowitzki has hit 10 home runs and driven in 28 runs. For the season, the five-time All-Star has hit .243 with 52 RBIs.
While Tulowitzki is hoping to avoid a second trip to the disabled list this season, the Blue Jays do have options in the event of an absence. Utility man Darwin Barney has provided steady play on both sides of the ball this season, while infielder Ryan Goins is finishing a rehab assignment for a right forearm strain at Triple-A Buffalo.