Blues place Bouwmeester back on IR

Jay Bouwmeester's return to the St. Louis Blues' lineup was short-lived, as the club placed the veteran back on injured reserve with an undisclosed issue on Friday.

The news comes after Bouwmeester sat out against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday and again on Thursday versus the Anaheim Ducks after taking the ice for the pregame warmup.

As Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic noted, the IR designation is retroactive to Tuesday, meaning Bouwmeester will miss at least two games and will be first eligible to return next Wednesday when the Blues take on the Calgary Flames.

Bouwmeester has made only 10 appearances this season after missing the first 21 games with an ankle injury. He's tallied just one goal and one assist in that time.