Toronto Blue Jays place Santiago Espinal on 10-day IL, recall Otto Lopez

TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays placed infielder Santiago Espinal on the 10-day injured list with right hamstring inflammation on Monday.

In a corresponding move, the Blue Jays recalled infielder Otto Lopez from triple-A affiliate Buffalo for Toronto’s game the same day against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Espinal left Saturday’s loss to the Baltimore Orioles with hamstring discomfort after stealing second base in the seventh inning. His injury-list placement is retroactive as of May 21.

The 28-year-old from the Dominican Republic has one home run and a .205 batting average in 25 games so far this season.

Lopez, a 24-year-old from the Dominican Republic, has yet to play for the Blue Jays this season. In nine at-bats last year, he batted in three runs.

The Blue Jays have lost four straight games and sit last in the American League East entering a four-game road series against the league-leading Rays.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2023.