Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Andres Gimenez left Thursday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays with left hamstring tightness suffered while running down the line in the fourth inning.
Gimenez attempted to leg out a softly hit ground ball to the right side and pulled up gingerly just before reaching first. He doubled over after the play and limped off the field with manager John Schneider and the training staff.
Ernie Clement, who started the game at second, took Gimenez’s spot at shortstop and Brandon Valenzuela entered the game to play first to account for the positional shuffling. Valenzuela had previously played only three innings of first base in his major-league career.
Gimenez was 1-for-2 with a bunt single prior to departing Thursday. He is slashing .238/.283/.355 with eight home runs and 49 RBI on the season.
The Blue Jays entered play Thursday one game out of the final American League wild-card spot.
