Blue Jays shut down Jose Bautista for remainder of season

The Blue Jays shut down superstar outfielder Jose Bautista for the remainder of the 2013 due to a bone bruise in his femur, the team announced on Wednesday. Toronto is hoping to have Bautista back fully for spring training next season.

Bautista shut down for rest of season with femur bone bruise. Will be 100 pct for spring training

— Blue Jays-Official (@BlueJays) September 4, 2013

The news is not a surprise. The 32-year old has been on the 15-day DL since Aug. 21, when he was diagnosed with a bruised hip. Bautista's injury has lingered and with the Blue Jays not anywhere near the playoffs, the option to shut down the outfielder made sense for all parties involved.

Bautista already missed time earlier this season due to back spasms. The nine-year veteran ends the season with a .259 average with 28 home runs, 73 RBI and a .358 OBP this season in 118 games. This is the second year in a row that Bautista's season has been cut short. In 2012, Bautista had wrist surgery, ending his season.

"Given the two additional weeks I'd have to get in game shape, we'd only have a handful of games left at that point," Bautista told Toronto media. "For those reasons, [Dr. Brian Kelly] recommended that I shut it down. Myself and the team agreed. It's not how I wanted to end the season but I have no choice but to follow the doctor's recommendation. The fact that we're not in contention played a role in the decision making as well."