Blue Jays OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Absent from Wild Card Roster

Set to host the Seattle Mariners in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card round, the Toronto Blue Jays will not have the services of one of their best hitters.

According to Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic, outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is not on the Jays’ Wild Card roster as he continues to recover from a left hamstring strain. The injury has forced Gurriel to miss the past month’s worth of action. While the 28-year-old is making good progress, Toronto will ultimately hold Gurriel out with the hopes he can return for the start of the ALDS, assuming the Jays make it that far.

Gurriel appeared in 121 games for the Blue Birds in 2022, hitting a team-leading .291 with five home runs, 52 RBI, and 52 runs scored.

Meanwhile, Santiago Espinal, who’s missed the last two weeks with an oblique injury, is on the roster, as are catcher Gabriel Moreno and pitcher Yusei Kikuchi.

FanDuel Sportsbook has the Jays at -130 on the moneyline.