Jays' All Star Bautista leaves early with twisted ankle

TORONTO (Reuters) - Toronto slugger Jose Bautista's return to the Blue Jays did not last long after the All Star outfielder was forced to leave with a twisted ankle in the fourth inning of his team's 16-7 victory over the New York Yankees on Thursday. Bautista played in Tuesday's All Star Game after he received a record 7.4 million votes in fan balloting, but in his first game back with Toronto he got his right foot caught in the dirt while sliding into third base.

After remaining on the field for several minutes, Bautista came off unassisted but did not return.

The power-hitting Dominican leads the Major Leagues with 31 home runs and is batting an impressive .336. He is listed as day-to-day.

"Hopefully, this isn't a prolonged situation where he is going to miss any length of time," Blue Jays manager John Farrell told reporters. "Certainly what he means to us speaks volumes." (Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Ian Ransom)