TORONTO – Brett Lawrie underwent an MRI exam on his back Wednesday, the Toronto Blue Jays know what the results say, and they’re not telling.
“When the time is right you’ll know,” said manager John Gibbons, left to obfuscate on behalf of the club after a 5-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
The reason for that is the club’s doctors in Toronto and Florida first want to exchange current and past MRIs in order to compare and contrast the results, the team clarified after a clumsy initial relay of the limited information.
Lawrie would have had MRIs for oblique injuries that led to DL stints in 2012 (right) and 2013 (left), so, logically, the fact they want to cross-check the results suggests the team is concerned he has another oblique injury.
The Blue Jays, however, were in cone of silence mode, which also hints at concern.
“No conspiracy, trust me,” said Gibbons, who noted that he “might” know the initial results of the MRI. “Just covering all the bases.”
The end-of-night evasiveness came hours after Gibbons said his infielder felt “a little better” before adding “it’s too early to tell” if a stint on the disabled list is needed.
“I wouldn’t think so,” he offered, before cautioning of how he’s been wrong in such instances before.
Lawrie left Tuesday’s 9-3 loss to the Orioles – his first game after missing 36 with a broken right index finger – after just three innings after his lower back tightened up. A team spokesman clarified Wednesday night that Lawrie’s tightness was in the middle and left side of his lower back.
While the awkward way he rounded first base on his single in the second inning looked to be the culprit, Lawrie said he felt something mild in his back during batting practice but it proceeded to “grab” more and more as the day progressed.
Lawrie spoke to the trainers during the game and eventually with Gibbons, leading to the decision to remove him from the game.
“You’ve got to be smart with it,” said Gibbons.
The Blue Jays got some injury news of a different sort regarding Adam Lind, who is slated to start a rehab stint Thursday with the GCL Blue Jays. Lind has been on the DL since July 8 with a fractured right foot and has missed 23 games and counting.
While Gibbons wouldn’t guess how many rehab games Lind will need, he won’t need to show an ability to play in the field for him to be activated
“He can strictly be a DH right now,” said Gibbons.
