Grichuk (knee) put on DL; Ngoepe recalled

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Blue Jays placed outfielder Randal Grichuk on the 10-day disabled list Monday morning with a Grade 1 sprain of his right knee.
Grichuk sustained the injury while making an awkward diving play during Sunday's victory over the Rangers. He remained in the game, but complained about soreness later that night and was then sent for an MRI on Monday.
The MRI revealed a sprain in the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) of Grichuk's knee and he is expected to miss the next three weeks. The Blue Jays had the option of recalling the recently demoted Devon Travis to take Grichuk's spot on the roster, but instead opted for utility infielder Gift Ngoepe.

One reason the Blue Jays picked Ngoepe over Travis is because another roster move is expected later in the week. Injured third baseman Josh Donaldson is currently on a rehab assignment with Class A Advanced Dunedin, and it's possible that he will return to the Blue Jays' lineup for an upcoming three-game series against the Rays, which begins on Friday.
There was no point in bringing back Travis for just a few days, so instead the Blue Jays went with Ngoepe, who will serve in a bench role during his second stint with Toronto this season. Travis is expected to receive regular at-bats at second base and also designated hitter for Triple-A Buffalo.
"Let him go down there and play a little bit," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said of Travis. "There may be another move soon anyway. I don't know what that would be. Could be, in the near future."
Grichuk's injury actually helps the Blue Jays solve a couple of problems with the configuration of their roster. Grichuk recently lost his starting job in right field to Teoscar Hernández and he had been relegated to the role of fifth outfielder. There was not a lot of playing time available, but Toronto could not send Grichuk down because he was out of options on his contract.
The sprained knee likely will allow Toronto to stick with an eight-man bullpen when Donaldson returns. Right-handed reliever Carlos Ramirez was the primary candidate to be sent down when Donaldson returned, but now Ngoepe could be optioned instead, as the Blue Jays look for creative ways to provide fresh arms for an overworked bullpen.
Donaldson began his rehab assignment with Dunedin on Saturday, and he went 0-for-3 as the DH. He then received a couple of days off, but is expected to play third base for Dunedin on Tuesday.
"Feeling much better," Gibbons said of Donaldson. "He's going to play in a rehab game tomorrow. No timetable yet. Just see how everything goes."