Blue Jays' Bautista expects to play Tuesday vs. Brewers
Jose Bautista expects to be in the lineup when the Toronto Blue Jays open a two-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers at Rogers Centre on Tuesday, which just so happens to be Canada's 147th birthday.
A left hamstring strain forced Bautista to miss six games before pinch-hitting against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, but the 33-year-old confirmed Monday that he is “much better, close to 100 percent,” according to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith.
“(There’s been) a lot of progress. When you have this type of injury, the most important thing is to relax and get downtime to let it heal and recover," said Bautista. "That’s what I’ve had to do, but (with) a lot of treatment at the same time."
Though it is unclear if Bautista will be able to play right field on Tuesday, he remains confident he'll at least be able to serve as the club's designated hitter.
“Now it’s feeling much better and obviously it’s not 100 percent yet, but it’s good enough to at least DH for the next couple of games and then we’ll see from there.”
Bautista, a four-time All-Star, is hitting .304/.432/.524 with 15 home runs and 15 doubles through 78 games this season.