NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki suffered a small crack to his left scapula, that’s the shoulder blade, and bruises to his upper back muscles in a collision centre fielder Kevin Pillar on Saturday afternoon.

Initial X-rays came back negative but Tulowitzki underwent an MRI later on Saturday afternoon. The follow up test revealed the true extent of his injuries.

With two outs in the second inning of the Jays’ doubleheader opener against the Yankees, New York’s Didi Gregorius lifted a pop up into shallow centre field. Second baseman Ryan Goins and Tulowitzki converged under the ball from the infield while Pillar charged in from the outfield. Goins peeled away when Pillar called for the ball. Tulowitzki made the catch as Pillar bumped him from behind.

The collision appeared innocuous. Tulowitzki transferred the ball from his glove to his throwing hand, then suddenly dropped the ball and fell backward to the ground. He was tended to by head trainer George Poulis and left the field under his own power.

The Blue Jays will “closely monitor” Tulowitzki over the next week in the hope of determining a return date.

Tulowitzki was hitting .232/.314/.368 with five home runs and 30 runs scored in 39 games with the Blue Jays following his acquisition from the Colorado Rockies on July 29.