Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes is expected to play in Game 2 of the American League Championship series on Monday.
Lukes fouled a pitch from the Seattle Mariners’ Bryce Miller off his right knee in the first inning. Despite apparent discomfort, he stayed in the game in right field until he was replaced by Myles Straw in the fourth inning.
The Mariners won the opener 3-1. Game 2 will be played in Toronto before the series shifts to Seattle.
Toronto manager John Schneider told reporters postgame that an X-ray was negative. As long as doctors give the OK, Lukes will be back in the lineup for Game 2, Schneider said.
Lukes, 31, played seven-plus seasons in the minors before making his MLB debut with Toronto in 2023. He appeared in just 51 games over the 2023 and 2024 seasons before becoming an everyday player this season.
Schneider counts on Lukes for his left-handed bat to break up the right-handed hitters at the top of the lineup. This season, he delivered a .255 average, 12 home runs and 65 RBIs in 135 games.
In the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees, Lukes drove in five runs in four games.
