Blue Jays place OF Johnson on 15-day DL

 

TORONTO (AP) -The Toronto Blue Jays placed outfielder Reed Johnson on the 15-day disabled list Friday because of soreness in his back and No. 5 hitter Troy Glaus will be out for a few days because of a bone spur in his left heel and a hamstring problem.
Toronto’s leadoff man, Johnson has appeared in seven games this season, batting .265 with one home run and seven RBIs. He sat out Toronto’s 5-4 loss to Detroit on Thursday night. The move was retroactive to Thursday. The team recalled outfielder Adam Lind from Triple-A Syracuse.
Johnson underwent an MRI exam on Friday, but the team was still waiting for the results.
“We’re still evaluating it right now,” general manager J.P. Ricciardi said. “We’ll know more through the weekend. He’s got some discomfort in his back, but we haven’t been able to pinpoint it.”
The 30-year-old Johnson, who missed two weeks during spring training with the same injury, set career highs in batting average (.319) and on-base percentage (.390) in 2006. Lind, 23, hit .367 with two home runs and eight RBI in 18 games after being called up last September. He’ll take over as the everyday left fielder.
As for Glaus, the hope is rest will help him avoid a stint on the DL.
The heel problem first flared up last Saturday when he left a game at Tampa Bay early. He then missed Sunday’s contest and left games Wednesday and Thursday early because of the problems.
“We’re going to back him off for a few days and let his hammy and his heel kind of get a little more treatment,” Ricciardi said. “But he should be OK.”
The Blue Jays also officially put reliever Brandon League on the 15-day DL after getting approval to void his option to Triple-A on March 25. The right-hander, unable to pitch because of shoulder pain, can now be sent to the minors on a rehabilitation assignment.