Blue Jays’ Yimi Garcia placed on 15-day injured list

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There was a no medical miracle with Blue Jays reliever Yimi Garcia after all.

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Two hours after manager John Schneider said that the team’s current closer had likely avoided a trip to the 15-day injury list, the team announced that Garcia is headed there with something diagnosed as right elbow ulnar neuritis.

In his place, left hander Brandon Eisert has been promoted from Buffalo and will take Garcia’s roster spot.

As for who will close games now, it’s back to a crisis situation for a Jays bullpen that has struggled throughout the season. Schneider said that in the absence of Jordan Romano (who is still likely at least a week away from returning from his own elbow issues) and Garcia, Chad Green is likely to assume the closer’s spot by default.

It’s far from ideal for a Jays team hurting in that department and with a 35-36 record looking to finally climb back to .500 in the first of three games against the Boston Red Sox Monday night at the Rogers Centre.

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Earlier in the day, Schneider was hopeful that it was crisis averted when results of an MRI to Garcia’s right elbow returned to reveal no structural damage.

Garcia left Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians in the ninth inning after feeling discomfort in his elbow. According to Schneider, an MRI taken Sunday night revealed no structural damage.

“I said it’s day-to-day (but) it’s almost like it’s 12-hour increments right now,” Schneider said before the roster move was announced a little more than an hour before Monday’s scheduled 7:07 p.m. first pitch. “(Garcia’s) obviously really important to our bullpen so wanting to do what’s right for him and right for us at the same time.

“If we can avoid the IL, that would be great.”

Now? Not so great.

At least there’s hope that Romano is getting closer to a return. The Canadian closer was placed on the injured list back on June 1 with right elbow inflammation and his absence has been a blow to a bullpen that has had its issues.

In other pitching news, Cuban Yariel Rodriguez joined the team on Monday following his latest start on a rehab assignment with triple-A Buffalo. Schneider said that Rodriguez is a possibility for a start against Cleveland later in the week as the fifth arm in the Jays rotation.

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