Pillar avoids potentially life-threatening injury, out 4-6 weeks

Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar will miss the next four-to-six weeks after straining the sternoclavicular joint in his right shoulder Saturday while laying out for a superb diving catch at Fenway Park.

It could've been a lot worse, though, according to team trainer Nikki Huffman.

When Pillar came down on his shoulder, Huffman told Sportsnet's Mike Wilner, his collarbone popped out, meaning the ligaments holding it in place were pushed out. Had his collarbone been pushed in, she said, it may have been life-threatening, and would've required surgery.

Placed on the 10-day disabled list ahead of Sunday's first-half finale against the Boston Red Sox, Pillar will have his right arm in a sling for the next week or so, and will be re-evaluated in three weeks. The 29-year-old has only been on the disabled list once before in his career, when he missed about two weeks in 2016 with a left thumb sprain.

Pillar, who averaged 153 games per season over the previous three years, is hitting .247/.279/.407 (86 OPS+) with eight home runs, 27 doubles, and 11 stolen bases through 93 contests in 2018, and ranks second among Blue Jays position players with 1.2 WAR.