The Wildest Injury Stories in Toronto Blue Jays History
In this story:
Injuries are, of course, nothing new for the 2026 Toronto Blue Jays. But even by their snake-bitten standards this season, there have certainly been some weird ones to arise of late.
In just the past week, we've seen Miami Marlins right-hander Eury Pérez hit the injured list with a right gracilis muscle strain incurred while stretching during a start against the Blue Jays. On Sunday, Jesús Sánchez suffered a bruised right wrist when a miscommunication with a young fan resulted in an unsuspecting Sánchez being hit by a ball thrown by the fan.
As Toronto manager John Schneider put it following the Sánchez injury, "You never know what you're going to see at the ballpark."
Both injuries are quite odd, to be clear. But weird injury reports are just about as old as the game itself. Heck, former Blue Jay and current Chicago Cub Matthew Boyd has already undergone knee surgery this season to repair a torn meniscus suffered while sitting down to play with his kids and remains sidelined.
For their part, Toronto has been through its own fair share of oddball injuries in its history. In honor of Sánchez and as part of the 50th season celebrations, let's look back at some of the stranger injuries in the history of the franchise.
Glenallen Hill - Spider Nightmare
There are plenty of people out there who don't like spiders, but few who take it to the extreme of former Blue Jays outfielder Glenallen Hill.
While playing for Toronto during the 1990 season, the arachnophobic Hill reacted to a nightmare about spiders by semi-consciously jumping out of bed, running into the next room and subsequently falling through a glass table. The 2000 World Series winner suffered cuts to his feet, knees and elbows in the incident to land on the 15-day IL.
Rickey Henderson - Frost Bite in August
When it comes to the late Rickey Henderson, there is a treasure trove of stories related to 'Rickey being Rickey' that highlight his unique personality. So it's of little surprise to see baseball's all-time stolen base leader wind up on this list.
Henderson was a member of the Blue Jays during their 1993 World Series season when he suffered frostbite on his left foot after falling asleep with an ice pack on it. The Hall of Famer would wind up stealing 1,406 bases over his 25-year career, so the frostbite obviously didn't do too much damage.
Robbie Ray - Stairs Tumble
While Blue Jays fans all know how Robbie Ray's 2021 Cy Young season with Toronto ended, it's harder to recall how it began.
Getting ready to embark upon his first full season with the Blue Jays, things started rather ignominiously as Ray opened the campaign on the injured list with a contusion on his left pitching elbow suffered in spring training.
The injury didn't come about in a game or even a practice. Instead, Ray sustained the elbow contusion when he slipped and fell on some stairs while carrying his young child. Fortunately, his child came away unhurt and he was back on the mound to kickstart his Cy Young campaign by mid-April.
In a sense, Sánchez has simply added to what is a quirky bit of lore in team history. Now let's hope that the team's season plays out just as it did when Henderson came down with a case of summer frostbite.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Ben Fisher is a long-time sportswriter and baseball lover, dating back to 2008, when he was a member of the media relations team for the Toronto Blue Jays. He has covered a wide range of sports for a seemingly endless array of publications, including The Canadian Press, Fansided and The Hockey Writers. When he isn't writing about sports, he can be found coaching his equally baseball-obsessed sons' Little League teams.