Blue Jays SS Tulowitzki improving, but still unsure of return date

One week after he suffered a broken left shoulder blade in an outfield collision, Toronto shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is no closer to knowing when he'll be able to play again.

Tulowitzki said Saturday that he's "making strides" after initially being unable to lift his arm. He was injured when he collided with teammate Kevin Pillar in the first game of a Sept. 12 doubleheader at Yankee Stadium.

Tulowitzki rejoined the AL East leaders on Friday after visiting a specialist in Boston. He said he has trouble finding a comfortable position to sleep, but feels much better after each round of treatment he receives from the Blue Jays medical staff.

"I can lift my arm now. Before I couldn't even move my arm," Tulowitzki said before Saturday's game against Boston. "Every day I feel like I'm making strides. I'm definitely headed in the right direction."

After the diagnosis, the Blue Jays said they hoped Tulowitzki might be able to play again within two or three weeks, but the five-time All-Star said there's "no timetable" for his return to the field. He hasn't done any kind of baseball activity since the injury.

"We're trying to speed up the process," Tulowitzki said. "But any time there's a fracture, you don't want to rush it."

Acquired from Colorado on July 28, Tulowitzki is batting .232 with five homers and 17 RBI in 39 games since joining Toronto. Overall this season, he's hitting .278 with 17 homers and 70 RBI.

Toronto swept last weekend's doubleheader and has won six of eight, extending its lead in the AL East to 4 1/2 games over the Yankees.

"Any time that they're winning games it makes it a lot easier to watch," Tulowitzki said. "Hopefully we can keep doing the same and hold on to this lead."