The Toronto Blue Jays placed catcher Dioner Navarro on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring, recalling Josh Thole from triple-A Buffalo to fill the void behind the plate.
Navarro tweaked his hamstring running the bases Tuesday and later underwent a precautionary MRI. When the results were worse than expected, the Blue Jays put him on the disabled list backdated to April 22.
“You can’t afford, especially at that position, to play short-handed,” manager John Gibbons told Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker on Sportsnet 590 The FAN.
For the time being, Thole will be available to catch R.A. Dickey while Justin Smoak will see more at bats in Navarro’s absence. Gibbons added that Jose Bautista could be used as a designated hitter when his strained shoulder allows him to swing a bat unimpeded.
Thole appeared in 57 games for the Blue Jays last year, batting .248/.320/.278 with four doubles in 150 plate appearances. He has caught Dickey more than anyone else, and the knuckleballer has a 3.44 ERA those 121 career games.