Tulowitzki suffers cracked shoulder blade, timetable for return unknown

When Toronto traded for Troy Tulowitzki in late July it knew it was getting one of the best hitting shortstops in the game, albeit, one with a lengthy history of injuries. The Blue Jays were hopeful Tulowitzki’s luck would change with a change of scenery.

Unfortunately, it did not.

Toronto could be without Tulowitzki for awhile after he suffered a cracked shoulder blade in a collision with center fielder Kevin Pillar on Saturday.

The incident happened in the second inning of the first game of a doubleheader at Yankees Stadium on Saturday.Tulowitzki backpedaled to catch a pop fly off the bat of Didi Gregorius and Pillar ran into him while trying to chase down the ball.

Tulowitzki was able to leave the field on his own and the team reported X-rays were negative on his back and ribs. But later in the day an MRI revealed the damage.

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Tulowitzki is expected to speak about the injury on Sunday. The team announced it plans to monitor its shortstop for the next week before determining a timetable for his return to the lineup.

Cliff Pennington went 1-for-3 after replacing Tulowitzki in the first game, which the Blue Jays won 9-5. Ryan goins played shortstop for Toronto in the second game of the day. He had a hit, a run scored and an RBI.

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Toronto has been one of the most prolific offensive teams in baseball since acquiring Tulowitzki from Colorado in a trade. The Blue Jays are not expected to fall off dramatically in that regard without him, but losing him certainly takes a little punch out of a formidable lineup.

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Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer to Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo