Jose Bautista’s season is over.
The injury that has sidelined the right fielder since Aug. 21 will keep him on the disabled list for the remainder of the season, the Toronto Blue Jays announced Wednesday.
“It’s been healing really nice and a good progression,” Bautista told reporters, including Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The FAN. “But unfortunately, the doctor feels like another two weeks of rest will have it heal completely.”
That timeline doesn’t allow Bautista enough time to return before opening day 2014.
“It’s not exactly how I wanted to end the season, but there’s not much you can do once you have an injury,” Bautista said Wednesday. “It’s the only way you can heal up. I have no choice but to follow the doctor’s recommendations.”
Bautista told reporters that he has a bone bruise at “the neck of the femur.” Bautista, who was placed on the DL with a bone bruise on his left hip, recently flew to New York City, where he underwent a medical evaluation.
“It’s a delicate spot, but by resting it now and not making it worse, I’m going to completely heal 100 per cent and have no issues going forward,” he said.
A full recovery is expected for Bautista, who was encouraged by doctors not to rush back to play in a handful of games.
“The timing of everything wasn’t ideal, and obviously the fact that we’re not in contention had to play a little bit into the decision-making,” Bautista said. “A combination of all of the factors, timing wise, our team situation and the type of injury and the extent of the injury, everything was considered in order to make this decision.”
This is the second consecutive time that Bautista has ended the season on the disabled list. The 32-year-old says it’s not easy to finish the season on the sidelines.
“Really tough,” he explained. “I’m one of those players that takes a lot of pride in working out hard and coming in in really good good shape after the off-season. Unfortunately, I’ve had two impact plays that have prevented me from finishing the season strong in the last two years. I’m hoping I have better luck next year.”
Bautista hit .259 with a .358 on-base percentage and 28 home runs in 118 games before the Blue Jays placed him on the disabled list.
The Blue Jays, now 64-75 with 23 games remaining, resume their series against the Arizona Diamondbacks Wednesday.
