Jays' rotation takes another hit as Garcia joins Stroman on DL

The Toronto Blue Jays' starting rotation took another hit Friday as left-hander Jaime Garcia was placed on the 10-day disabled list with left shoulder inflammation.

The move, which was retroactive to last Wednesday, came a week after right-hander Marcus Stroman went on the DL due to right shoulder fatigue.

The Blue Jays recalled right-hander Deck McGuire from triple-A Buffalo and pencilled in recent call-ups Sam Gaviglio and Joe Biagini to start games against Oakland over the weekend.

Garcia has struggled this year with a 2-3 record and 6.28 earned-run average over eight starts.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Garcia's shoulder "flared up again" a couple days ago.

'Just a little inflammation'

"It's no big deal," Gibbons said before Friday's game against the Athletics. "Just a little inflammation. Figure he'll miss a start and he should be fine."

Garcia, who signed a US$8-million, one-year deal in the off-season, was shelled for six runs in 3 2/3 innings last Tuesday in a 12-2 loss to the New York Mets.

The 31-year-old has a career mark of 69-58 with a 3.78 ERA over parts of 10 big-league seasons.

McGuire, 28, was 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA over five starts with the Bisons. The six-foot-six right-hander made one appearance for the Blue Jays earlier this season, giving up three earned runs over 3 1/3 innings.

Gibbons also said that outfielder Teoscar Hernandez could return to the lineup Saturday afternoon. He skipped Thursday's game due to back tightness.

Jays prospect Joel Espinal suspended for PED

Toronto Blue Jays minor-league pitcher Joel Espinal has been suspended 80 games for violating the league's drug program.

Espinal, who plays for Toronto's Class-A affiliate Dunedin of the Florida State League, was penalized Friday by the commissioner's office.

The right-handed reliever tested positive for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance.

Espinal, 21, was signed as a free agent by the Blue Jays in 2015. The native of the Dominican Republic had three strikeouts in three innings with a perfect earned-run average this season. He had a 5.51 ERA across 47.1 innings with the rookie-level Bluefield Blue Jays of the Appalachian League in 2017.

Domingo Jimenez of the Cleveland organization was also suspended 80 games by the commissioner's office for testing positive for Stanozolol. Jimenez, a right-handed pitcher, was with Lake County of the Midwest League.

There have been 36 players suspended this year under the minor league drug program and six under the big league program.