Jose Bautista was removed from Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Yankees in the seventh inning because of neck tightness.
Bautista had been experiencing discomfort in the area since the Blue Jays' trip to Texas late last week.
The 30-year-old walked during the seventh inning before Corey Patterson entered the game as a pinch-runner.
"It's one of those things where you sleep on your neck a little wrong," Bautista said. "It was bothering me for a couple of days, and it just got really tight today. I figured that was a good time to get somebody else a good chance of scoring with a double, because it hurts when I'm running and throwing the ball."
Bautista said his neck tightened up as Sunday's game progressed, but it is not something that he expects to keep him out of action for a prolonged period of time.
"I'll be ready for the next game -- it's not going to be an issue," Bautista said. "It's nothing major. It's just like I said -- a tight neck."
Bautista finished the afternoon 0-for-2 with a pair of walks. The Dominican native entered the game hitting .357 with nine home runs and 16 RBIs in 25 games this season.
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