The Toronto Blue Jays placed shortstop Troy Tulowitzki on the 60-day disabled list Thursday as they set their 25-man roster for Opening Day.
Tulowitzki has been dealing with bilateral heel bone spurs and visited an ankle specialist this week to discuss treatment options, but Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said he did not know the outcome of that meeting.
The Blue Jays acquired Tulowitzki from Colorado in 2015, one of several moves they made at the deadline that season en route to winning the AL East and ending a 22-year playoff drought.
"Troy's been big for this team,'' Gibbons said. "He's one of the best shortstops in the game and you're not going to find a more professional guy. He's a leader on the field. From that end, we'll definitely miss him.''
In other moves Thursday, the Blue Jays selected the contracts of veteran right-handed relievers John Axford and Tyler Clippard while placing outfielders Dalton Pompey (right wrist sprain) and Anthony Alford (right hamstring strain) on the 10-day disabled list.
Tulowitzki's 2017 season ended on July 28 when he sprained his right ankle and also suffered ligament damage. He was hitting .249 with 7 home runs and 26 RBIs at the time of his injury last season.
He is a career .290 hitter with 224 home runs and 779 RBIs in 12 major league seasons.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.