Luka Modric’s season for AC Milan is over after he suffered a facial fracture against Juventus on Sunday, but the Croatian midfielder is aiming to be fit in time to play in the World Cup.

Modric collided with Juventus’ Manuel Locatelli while both were contesting a header in the 80th minute of what ended as a 0-0 draw. Modric was hit in the left side of the face and forced to leave the pitch.

Tests revealed a “complex, multi-fragment fracture of the left zygomatic bone,” according to a statement, with the club adding that Modric had already undergone “completely successful” surgery.

Modric, 40, will miss the final four games of AC Milan’s season as he is expected to be sidelined until late May. It is a setback for the club, with Milan third in the Serie A standings with 67 points, only three ahead of Juventus. Seven points over the final four games would ensure Milan’s spot in the Champions League.

Croatia’s opening World Cup match is against England on June 17, with their other Group L games against Panama and Ghana. However, it is uncertain whether Modric will be fit in time for friendlies against Belgium on June 2 and Slovenia five days later.

“I’ve been talking to Luka, and wished him a successful surgery and a quality and speedy recovery. I am convinced that he will do everything to be ready for the @FIFAWorldCup, and we’ll provide full support,” coach Zlatko Dalic said in a post by the Croatian federation on X. “I am confident that the recovery will go according to plan and that Luka, as team captain, will lead us at another major competition this summer.”

–Field Level Media

The Toronto Blue Jays placed veteran right-hander Max Scherzer on the 15-day injured list with left ankle inflammation and right forearm tendinitis on Monday.

The 41-year-old has been one strikeout shy of a milestone 3,500 for the past nine days but couldn’t hit that mark in losses to the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 18 and the Cleveland Guardians on Friday.

His outing against the Guardians garnered no strikeouts and drove his ERA to 9.64 after giving up seven earned runs on 82 pitches in 2 1/3 innings, though Scherzer said after the game, “I would not characterize this start as the fault of my forearm.”

Scherzer has reportedly been dealing with the forearm tendinitis since early April.

“The doctor said, ‘Hey, take five or seven days, let this all heal, and then ramp back up and you’ll see,” Scherzer said Monday. “‘Your body will tell you how fast you can ramp up.'”

It’s unclear who will fill in for Scherzer’s next scheduled start on Wednesday. Left-hander Eric Lauer had been expected to move to the bullpen when Trey Yesavage is activated for his season debut Tuesday against the visiting Boston Red Sox after starting the season on the IL with a right shoulder impingement. Lauer could be moved back to the starting rotation in light of Scherzer’s injuries.

Reliever Chase Lee was called up to fill the 26-man roster on Monday but another move will need to be made for Yesavage’s return.

Scherzer’s move to the IL is one in a long list for the Blue Jays this season, a group of more than a dozen players that also includes designated hitter George Springer (fractured left big toe); outfielders Addison Barger (sprained left ankle), Anthony Santander (torn labrum in left shoulder) and Nathan Lukes (hamstring strain); catcher Alejandro Kirk (fractured left thumb); starting pitchers Bowden Francis (elbow surgery), Jose Berrios (stress fracture in right elbow), Cody Ponce (torn ACL in right knee) and Shane Bieber (right elbow inflammation); and right-handed reliever Yimi Garcia (elbow).

The Blue Jays sit in fourth place in the AL East with a 12-15 record. They open a three-game home series Monday against the Red Sox.

–Field Level Media

Ryan Vilade singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning off Hunter Gaddis, and Steven Matz worked a season-high seven innings to rally the visiting Tampa Bay Rays to a 3-2 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Monday night.

Cleanup hitter Vilade had two RBI singles in a three-inning span as the Rays scored three unanswered runs to erase a 2-0 deficit. Vilade knocked in Yandy Diaz in the sixth and plated pinch-runner Richie Palacios in the eighth.

Jonathan Aranda hit a leadoff homer in the eighth off Gaddis (0-1) to tie the score, paving the way for Tampa Bay’s fifth consecutive victory. The Rays are 12-1 against American League opponents and have the second-best record in the Junior Circuit.

Matz (4-1) gave up two runs on four hits, only allowing multiple baserunners in the fifth. The left-hander struck out two and walked one in a 95-pitch outing, remaining unbeaten in nine lifetime appearances against Cleveland at 4-0.

Ian Seymour pitched the eighth, and Bryan Baker worked a shaky ninth for his seventh save. Kyle Manzardo singled, and Chase DeLauter doubled with one out before Baker struck out George Valera and Daniel Schneemann.

Cleveland took a 2-0 lead in the fifth on Schneemann’s two-run homer to left off Matz. It scored David Fry, who reached on a walk after umpire Jacob Metz called strike three. Fry challenged the call, and it was turned into ball four on the replay.

Vilade went 3-for-4, tying his career high in hits, and is batting .344 on the season. The offseason acquisition from the Cincinnati Reds is 11-for-24 (.458) in his last 10 games.

Guardians starter Parker Messick tied his career high with nine strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings, giving up one run on three hits. The left-hander lowered his ERA to 1.73 — the third best in the AL — and walked a pair.

All six of Messick’s starts have taken place after Cleveland losses. The Guardians are now 5-1 in them, matching Tampa Bay’s record in starts by Matz.

–Field Level Media