Outfielder Nathan Lucas left Game 1 of the ALCS during the fourth inning tonight after fouling a ball off his knee earlier in the game. He was replaced by Myles Straw in the outfield, and manager John Schneider took notice Ken Rosenthal on the FOX Sports broadcast that Lukes would have his ailing knee x-rayed, and that was the problem “it looked more like a bruise” at the first evaluation. The Blue Jays later announced that he left the game due to a right knee contusion and would undergo further evaluation. After the game, Schneider told reporters (including Mitch Bannon of The Athletic) that Lukes’ x-rays came back clean and would be back in the lineup tomorrow if he was medically cleared to play.
While it is undoubtedly good news that Lukes has avoided a fracture, the injury is still a concern for the Jays. Lukes was just an average hitter in the regular season this year, with a 103 wRC+ over 135 games, but in five playoff games so far this postseason he has been a key part of the Toronto lineup with a .286/.357/.429 slash line during his 14 plate appearances in October. Straw and Davis Schneider would be the most likely candidates to step into the lineup if Lukes were forced to miss time, and while they were both respectable pieces for the Jays this year, adding another right-handed bat to the lineup wouldn’t be ideal against Seattle’s heavily right-handed pitching staff, as Lukes is a career 109 wRC+ hitter against righties.
It likely won’t be known until tomorrow how serious the bruise Lukes is dealing with is when he is re-evaluated to see if he can play. Players like it Kyle Tucker, Mike TroutAnd Cody Bellinger have missed significant time during the regular season in recent years due to bone bruises after taking balls off their knees or shins, though it’s unclear whether Lukes’ ailment is that serious. It’s entirely possible that Lukes is dealing with a much less serious contusion and isn’t at substantial risk of missing time, especially considering players are typically trying to work through injuries they normally wouldn’t in the postseason.
That said, it’s worth keeping an eye on Lukes even if he could play tomorrow. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the contusion was serious enough to affect his skills on the field. Even if he doesn’t make an impact at the plate, he’ll certainly move more gingerly on the bases and in the field than he normally would. With Schneider boasting a 127 wRC+ in the regular season and a 2-for-8 line with two walks in the postseason this year, it’s not hard to imagine that a diminished Lukes is no longer the preferred starter over Schneider, who could be brought into the lineup by rotation Anthony Santander to right field and place it in left field, or move it Addison Barger to right field to open third base Ernie Clemens so he can play second.
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