KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jose Reyes heard a pop in his left ankle as he awkwardly slid into second base. After that, everything else was a blur to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night.
The trainers lifted their star shortstop onto a cart, and the cart drove through the bullpen gate in right field. The sight was of Reyes, his ankle heavily bandaged, being pushed out of their clubhouse after an 8-4 win over the Kansas City Royals, on his way to have an MRI exam.
The sound was of general manager Alex Anthopoulos on the phone with other GMs, already trying to make a deal for a replacement amid the sobering news that Reyes could be out up to three months.
“It’s on everybody’s mind,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “Doesn’t matter if he’s on our team or another team, in the baseball world — the baseball community — your heart goes out to whoever it might be. In this case, he’s one of the top guys in the game.”
Reyes had just driven in two runs with a base hit when he was attempting to steal second base in the sixth inning. He appeared to be indecisive about whether to go in sliding or standing, and made the late choice to hit the dirt, his trailing ankle twisting cruelly beneath him.
Reyes slid over the bag, and then rolled around on the dirt, screaming in pain. Trainers for both teams ran out to help him while a green cart was driven in from the outfield.
Check out a video of the slide below.
