BALTIMORE — Things just got worse for the lowly Toronto Blue Jays.
On Wednesday afternoon, closer Ken Giles landed on the 10-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. Giles hasn’t pitched since June 5, when he threw a scoreless inning against the Yankees for a second straight day. It was the fourth time this season that the he’s worked back-to-back days, but his recovery since then has been slower than usual.
“Just gotta play it safe,” said the 28-year-old right-hander. “I don’t want to put this team in a bigger hole than they need to be.”
Toronto entered play on Wednesday with the third-worst record in baseball (23-43) and was 18 games behind New York in the American League East. Expected to be sellers at the trade deadline this summer, the Blue Jays have a valuable commodity in Giles, whose contract runs through the end of next season and who’s been one of the most effective closers in the game this year. Giles has a 1.08 ERA and has converted 11 saves in 12 chances. In 25 innings, he has 42 strikeouts against seven walks.
Manager Charlie Montoya said that he doesn’t expect Giles to be out any longer than the duration of his IL stint, which was back dated to June 9. In the meantime, fellow righty Joe Biagini will serve as closer. To take Giles’ spot on the active roster, Toronto called up pitcher Jordan Romano from triple-A Buffalo.