Blue Jays’ John Schneider provides uncertain Nathan Lukes update ahead of Game 2 vs. Mariners originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The are aiming for a World Series appearance, and the only thing standing in their way now is the . Heading into the ALCS, the Blue Jays received a boost with the return of some key arms.

“Speaking of rotations, Bassitt and Scherzer return after being left out of the ALCS picture. Scherzer was omitted since manager John Schneider felt the veteran didn’t match up well against the Yankees in particular, while Bassitt wasn’t fully recovered from a bout of back tightness that sent him to the 15-day injured list on September 19. The Jays felt they could navigate the five-game ALDS with only three starters (Gausman, Yamaguchi, Bieber) on the roster, and that proved to be the case, as the relief corps stepped up with a big bullpen-game performance in the clinching Game 4,” MLB Rumors’ Mark Polishuk wrote.

However, the team suffered a scare in Game 1 when outfielder Nathan Lukes was forced to leave due to injury.

“Lukes (knee) underwent X-rays and a CT scan, which came back negative, during Sunday’s 3-1 loss to the Mariners in Game 1 of the ALCS. Lukes exited the contest in the fourth inning after he fouled a ball off his right knee earlier in the game, but he appears to have avoided a major injury,” CBS Sports reported.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider gave an update on Lukes and his potential availability for Game 2.

“(He’s) doing all right. Knee is pretty sore. If he’s medically good tomorrow, he’ll be in there. We’ll see how he is tomorrow,” Schneider told the media.

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It sounds like Lukes will be in the lineup if he’s cleared to play Monday. This is the ALCS—there’s no room for caution if a player is good to go.

The Blue Jays are in need of a crucial win before the series shifts to Seattle for Games 3 through 5. Falling into a 2-0 hole could be difficult to recover from—and would give the Mariners a significant edge.

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