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TORONTO -- Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan will miss four to six weeks with an elbow sprain and All-Star third baseman Troy Glaus will be placed on the disabled list Tuesday.

Ryan

Glaus

Left fielder Reed Johnson also opted for surgery to repair the herniated disk in his lower back. Johnson, who was placed on the disabled list Friday, will have the procedure done Tuesday in St. Petersburg, Fla., and will be out until July.

The flurry of moves leaves the Blue Jays with Jason Frasor as their closer, rookie Adam Lind in left field and a platoon of John McDonald and Jason Smith at third base.

The only good news of the day came when specialist Dr. James Andrews didn't find any tears in Ryan's sprained elbow ligament during an examination in Birmingham, Ala.

The All-Star closer has an injury similar to the one that sidelined teammates A.J. Burnett and Gustavo Chacin last season. Rest and rehab worked in both of those cases, and the plan is the same for Ryan.

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"That's probably what we expected, maybe we expected a little worse," general manager J.P. Ricciardi said. "He'll work with our trainers and we'll reassess where he's at in four weeks."

Ryan was placed on the DL on Sunday after he blew two of his first five save chances. The injury first began bothering him during spring training and worsened as the season progressed.

Frasor, who saved 17 games as a rookie in 2004, will be the closer in Ryan's absence.

The Blue Jays hoped to have Glaus back in the lineup Tuesday when they open a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox, but decided to put him on the disabled list to give him more time to recover. He has a bone spur in his left heel and a sore hamstring, and hasn't played since Thursday.

"We didn't want to put him out there and play for two days and then it flares up again," said Ricciardi. "This way we rest him and hopefully get things right."

Glaus, batting .333 with two homers and five RBIs, was placed on the disabled list retroactive to April 13. Infielder Ryan Roberts will be called up from Triple-A Syracuse.

The best-case scenario for Johnson, who was batting .265 with a homer and seven RBIs, is a return around the All-Star break. The leadoff hitter and team sparkplug considered rehabilitation before ultimately deciding that the operation was his best option.

"He needed some time to gather all the information," said Ricciardi. "He could have tried to rehab it but the surgery was the best option to really get it right."

Reliever Brandon League is also on the disabled list because of shoulder pain. The club hopes he can return by late May or early June.

"We're just going to have to hold the fort down until they get back," said Ricciardi. "What are you going to do?"

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press