BLUE JAYS
Bautista put on DL
BALTIMORE -- Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday following a freakish injury that he attributed in part to bad luck.
Bautista sprained his big left toe Thursday night in Philadelphia when he got his foot caught in a fence latch while trying to make a catch.
He was wearing a walking boot Friday in the Toronto clubhouse.
"It's frustrating," he said. "I've put in a lot of hard work, dedication and effort into being healthy, and this sort of stuff happens. It can only happen by playing aggressively, and that's the type of player I am."
Still, he couldn't help but bemoan the circumstances of the injury.
"I could've stepped one inch shorter of the wall, one inch closer to the wall, and none of this would've happened," he said. "It's just a little bit of bad luck."
Bautista is batting .230 with 12 home runs and 41 RBI for the defending American League East champions. He also has a team-high 48 walks.
A preliminary exam did not reveal any broken bones, but Bautista will undergo further tests to determine the severity of the injury.
"He's going to have to get some specialized X-rays, some stress X-rays and some things like that," Blue Jays trainer George Poulis said. "The doctors are pretty confident now there's no fracture, but once you start digging deeper and getting these specialized tests you never know what can show up."
It's the kind of injury that doesn't go away quickly, so Toronto was left with no choice but to put Bautista on the disabled list.
"When you stub your toe in your living room, the pain goes away in an hour," Poulis said. "This pain is not going away. It's pretty evident that it's not going to be a two- or three-day thing."
CARDINALS
Wong recalled from Memphis
ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong, 25, has been recalled from Class AAA Memphis after a brief demotion, during which he played center field to add to his versatility.
Rookie outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker, who has cooled off following a strong start, was optioned to Memphis. Hazelbaker has three pinch-hit home runs.
Wong batted .429 with four home runs and 11 RBI in 7 games in the minors, including a game-winning grand slam.
He was batting .222 with 1 home run and 5 RBI in 49 games with St. Louis and lost his starting spot when Carpenter moved from third base to second to accommodate Jhonny Peralta.
"People take it like it's a bad thing," Wong said. "I love playing this game, I don't care if I'm getting paid or not."
Wong signed a five-year, $25 million extension before the season.
"Going up to being demoted, I was feeling like things were starting to click," Wong said. "Everything fell into place exactly the way I knew it was going to."
Hazelbaker was batting .250 with 7 home runs and 19 RBI in 61 games, and also led the team with 4 steals. He had five home runs with a .317 average in the first month, but since then was batting .172.
RANGERS
Wilhelmsen becomes free agent
ST. LOUIS -- The Texas Rangers have given up on Tom Wilhelmsen.
Wilhelmsen, who cleared waivers Friday, refused an outright assignment to Class AAA Round Rock and became a free agent. The reliever posted a 10.55 ERA in 211/3 innings over 21 appearances for the Rangers and allowed 9 hits in 1 inning of work on Monday before being optioned to the minors.
Wilhelmsen, who was to earn $3.1 million this year, forfeited the remaining value of his contract to take free agency. That amounts to about $1.8 million in savings for the Rangers, who acquired Wilhelmsen from Seattle in a deal that sent Leonys Martin to the Mariners over the winter.
The club decided to remove him from the 40-man roster to give itself some flexibility with other potential moves and once Wilhelmsem cleared waivers he exercised his right to refuse the assignment. The decision gives the Rangers 39 players on the 40-man roster and creates an opening should the team want to add right-hander Kyle Lohse to the roster. Lohse is currently working as a starter at Round Rock and could be a candidate for a middle relief and spot starter role.
WHITE SOX
Jackson undergoes knee surgery
CLEVELAND -- Chicago White Sox center fielder Austin Jackson underwent surgery on his left knee Wednesday and will be re-examined in four weeks.
Jackson, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list June 10, had a small portion of the medial meniscus removed and will be on crutches for two weeks. The surgery was performed in Los Angeles.
Jackson, 29, signed with the White Sox in the offseason. He's batting .254 with 18 RBI and 2 stolen bases in 54 games.
Sports on 06/18/2016