Gibbons to Buehrle: 'You know, rosters expand in September'

It never hurts to ask.

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons apparently decided to check in with his former left-hander Mark Buehrle, who hasn't pitched in 2016, and inquire about his making a late-season return to help his old club down the stretch. Gibbons told reporters, including Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith, that he sent a text to the 37-year-old reading, "You know, rosters expand in September."

In response, Buehrle apparently texted his former skipper a picture of a lake - indicating, presumably, that his stellar 16-year career is over.

This isn't the first time Buehrle's played coy on his future since "retiring" after the 2015 season finished, or had fun with the subject. Earlier this year, when he was spotted attending a Blue Jays-White Sox game in Chicago, the durable southpaw told CSN Chicago's Chuck Garfien that he "might be" or "might not be" thinking of coming back with either the White Sox or Blue Jays in a relief role, before quipping that he was keeping in shape by throwing to his son's Little League club.

Related: Sale wants Buehrle to retire with White Sox​

Buehrle, perhaps best known for his 12 years on the South Side of Chicago and 14 straight seasons with 200-plus innings pitched, played for the Blue Jays from 2013-15 and made one All-Star appearance over that span.