Blue Jays' Jose Bautista: Leads off in first game back from injury

Bautista (turf toe) went 1-for-3 with a walk in his return from the DL on Monday against the Padres.

Analysis:

Despite a five-week layoff due to injury, Bautista's insisted that no extra precautions will be necessary moving forward. That's good news for fantasy owners who've been burned badly by the slugger in 2016, because Bautista will need all the at-bats he can get to make up for lost time. The offense was struggling before Bautista's injury, so manager John Gibbons "temporarily" inserted the slugger atop the lineup. However, in his first game back Monday, the soon-to-be free agent was hitting leadoff once again. The 35-year-old has already missed 30 games worth of opportunities, and hitting first would take away more chances in regards to driving in runs. In addition to his cloudy lineup slot, Bautista injury also makes it tough to project where he goes from here. Turf toe injuries can be tricky, and playing on the artificial surface at the Rogers Centre isn't the ideal place to recover. It's hard to believe the three-time Silver Slugger is going to have a lost season, but he'll have to go full speed ahead down the stretch to avoid just that.