TORONTO -- Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan will miss four to six
weeks with an elbow sprain and All-Star third baseman Troy Glaus
will be placed on the disabled list Tuesday.
Ryan
Glaus
Left fielder Reed Johnson also opted for surgery to repair the
herniated disk in his lower back. Johnson, who was placed on the
disabled list Friday, will have the procedure done Tuesday in St.
Petersburg, Fla., and will be out until July.
The flurry of moves leaves the Blue Jays with Jason Frasor as
their closer, rookie Adam Lind in left field and a platoon of
John McDonald and Jason Smith at third base.
The only good news of the day came when specialist Dr. James
Andrews didn't find any tears in Ryan's sprained elbow ligament
during an examination in Birmingham, Ala.
The All-Star closer has an injury similar to the one that
sidelined teammates A.J. Burnett and Gustavo Chacin last season.
Rest and rehab worked in both of those cases, and the plan is the
same for Ryan.
"That's probably what we expected, maybe we expected a little
worse," general manager J.P. Ricciardi said. "He'll work with our
trainers and we'll reassess where he's at in four weeks."
Ryan was placed on the DL on Sunday after he blew two of his
first five save chances. The injury first began bothering him
during spring training and worsened as the season progressed.
Frasor, who saved 17 games as a rookie in 2004, will be the
closer in Ryan's absence.
The Blue Jays hoped to have Glaus back in the lineup Tuesday
when they open a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox, but
decided to put him on the disabled list to give him more time to
recover. He has a bone spur in his left heel and a sore hamstring,
and hasn't played since Thursday.
"We didn't want to put him out there and play for two days and
then it flares up again," said Ricciardi. "This way we rest him
and hopefully get things right."
Glaus, batting .333 with two homers and five RBIs, was placed on
the disabled list retroactive to April 13. Infielder Ryan Roberts
will be called up from Triple-A Syracuse.
The best-case scenario for Johnson, who was batting .265 with a
homer and seven RBIs, is a return around the All-Star break. The
leadoff hitter and team sparkplug considered rehabilitation before
ultimately deciding that the operation was his best option.
"He needed some time to gather all the information," said
Ricciardi. "He could have tried to rehab it but the surgery was
the best option to really get it right."
Reliever Brandon League is also on the disabled list because of
shoulder pain. The club hopes he can return by late May or early
June.
"We're just going to have to hold the fort down until they get
back," said Ricciardi. "What are you going to do?"