Blue Jays' Nathan Lukes to begin FCL rehab assignment on Monday

"Outfielder Nathan Lukes is slated to begin a rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League on Monday, the Toronto Blue Jays announced prior to Friday's series opener against the Detroit Tigers. Manager John Schneider shared with reporters pre-game, including Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith, that Lukes will run the bases at the club's player development complex on Saturday. If all goes well, the 31-year-old will be cleared to return to game action with the FCL Blue Jays."

"Lukes' rehab assignment will likely move to Single-A Dunedin following Monday's contest, although the Blue Jays skipper didn't reveal how many rehab games he'll require before rejoining the big-league squad. It's possible he could make a brief stop at Triple-A Buffalo for a few games and then travel to Toronto ahead of next weekend's series versus the Pittsburgh Pirates."

"The left-handed-hitting outfielder was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring on April 25 after leaving the night prior in the first inning. He also battled vertigo symptoms during spring training and to begin this season, but had looked much more like himself after receiving treatment during the team's road trip through Arizona last month."

"That led to improved offensive results from Lukes, whose encouraging surge included an 11-for-21 (.524) stretch with four doubles and six RBIs in seven games prior to returning to the IL. Overall, he owns zero home runs and eight RBIs with a .250/.286/.327 slash line and a 72 wRC+ (100 league average) across 20 games in his fourth season with the Blue Jays."

Nathan Lukes is scheduled to start a rehab assignment with the Florida Complex League Blue Jays after a left hamstring strain placed him on the 10-day injured list on April 25. He will run the bases at the player development complex on Saturday, and if that goes well he will be cleared to return to game action with the FCL Blue Jays. The rehab likely moves to Single-A Dunedin after Monday’s game, with the possibility of a short stint at Triple-A Buffalo before traveling to Toronto for games against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Lukes previously showed improved form after treatment during the team’s Arizona road trip, including an 11-for-21 stretch before returning to the IL. Without him, Yohendrick Piñango has produced strong early offensive numbers.

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