CHICAGO -- The Blue Jays' battered bullpen has another hole to plug after right-hander Gavin Floyd was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday with tightness in his throwing shoulder.
Floyd, 33, exited in the sixth inning Saturday after letting up a run-scoring single and recording an out in Toronto's 10-8 win. He felt discomfort, called for Blue Jays head athletic trainer George Poulis to come to the mound and then departed. Results of an MRI performed Sunday will determine how much time Floyd is out.
To fill the void in the bullpen, the Blue Jays called up right-hander Bo Schultz, who's coming back from offseason hip surgery, from Triple-A Buffalo. After losing, 5-2, in Sunday's finale against the White Sox, the Blue Jays also recalled right-hander Ryan Tepera from Buffalo and optioned left-hander Chad Girodo to Triple-A.
"We were starting to get some stability down there, settling in, but we have some other guys who are capable," pitching coach Pete Walker said. "I know Bo Schultz and Ryan Tepera down in Triple-A were champing at the bit. We've got some guys who can fill in and hold down the fort, [but] hopefully everything's going to be OK with Gavin."
Floyd is 2-4 with a 4.06 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP in 28 appearances this season, striking out 30 in 31 innings.
Two other relievers on the DL, left-handers Brett Cecil (torn lat muscle) and Franklin Morales (shoulder fatigue), joined Buffalo this weekend in the final stages of their Minor League rehab stints and could soon rejoin the Blue Jays' bullpen.
Cecil threw a scoreless inning of relief Saturday in the Bisons' 4-0 win against Triple-A Indianapolis, including nine of 12 pitches for strikes. Morales threw a scoreless inning of relief Sunday against Indianapolis, striking out one and earning the win in Buffalo's 5-3 victory.
Poulis said Cecil and Morales are both doing well medically and their activations from the DL hinge on baseball decisions.
"[Cecil's] throwing the ball very well," Walker said. "We'd like to see him get one more outing, at least, in Buffalo and then join us. But we want to make sure he's feeling great after each and every outing, and so far, so good. The reports on [Morales] are great, as well. That's another possibility for this bullpen, but right now, with the guys that we have, we anticipate them doing a good job for us and sticking around."
Schultz, 30, is happy to be one of those guys. After going 0-1 with a 3.56 ERA in 31 appearances for Toronto last season, he had offseason surgery to repair the labrum in his left hip. Schultz, who bounced around the Minors before making his Major League debut with the D-backs in 2014, said last season helped motivate him during his recovery from surgery.
"I wouldn't say that I necessarily doubted if I would have the ability to come back," said Schultz, who struck out the side in the eighth inning Sunday, but also allowed a solo home run. "From a confidence perspective last year, I built up that confidence I believe [is] necessary in me just to say, 'OK, I can succeed at the highest level.' At that point, [it's just] a matter of working and recovering and hoping for the opportunity to arise, and when it does, take advantage."
Worth noting
• Justin Smoak sat out for a third straight game with a left knee injury that occurred when he fouled a ball off the knee Wednesday against the D-backs. Smoak took batting practice in the visitors' indoor batting cage prior to the game wearing a neoprene sleeve on his knee and was available to pinch-hit. Manager John Gibbons said Smoak is fine, but he also won't play Monday in Colorado. Gibbons confirmed the X-rays taken on Smoak's knee came back negative for fractures.
• Ezequiel Carrera was out of the starting lineup, so Devon Travis hit leadoff for just the third time this season. Prior to the game, Travis was hitting .200 with a .265 on-base percentage in 90 career at-bats as the Blue Jays' leadoff hitter, compared to .438 and .486 in 32 at-bats hitting second, where he hit Saturday. He went 1-for-4 on Sunday.