Troy Tulowitzki placed on 15-day DL with quadriceps strain

The Toronto Blue Jays have placed Troy Tulowitzki on the 15-day disabled list with a right quad injury.

An MRI before Saturday's game against the Boston Red Sox revealed a low-grade strain, and Tulowitzki will receive treatment on the leg before resuming baseball activities.

"I think I needed more time to get over the hump," he said. "There was a couple things that made me realize that I wasn't myself out there. I just felt it too many times."

Tulowitzki was injured stealing second in New York against the Yankees on Tuesday. He came out of that game, and after sitting out the remainder of the series, he returned for Friday night's home game against the Red Sox but was ineffective, going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts and showing limitations in his movement in the field.

"It's tough," Tulowitzki said. "You could rest it and maybe get better in a week or so, but then you have to play with a man down, and that's not the right thing to do either, so that was the decision."

He is batting .204 this season, with eight home runs and 23 RBI. Ryan Goins and Darwin Barney are expected to split time at shortstop until Tulowitzki returns.

The Blue Jays called up left-handed reliever Aaron Loup to take Tulowitzki's spot on the roster. Loup, who has yet to play this season, has been recovering from a forearm strain in his pitching arm and just completed a rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo.

Tulowitzki, 31, has batted just .221 in 87 games since being acquired by Toronto in last year's blockbuster trade with the Colorado Rockies. He has been plagued by injuries throughout his career and has not played in more than 126 games in any single season since 2011.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.