TORONTO -- Shea Hillenbrand was cut by the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night after he was chastised during a team meeting and he refused to sit in the dugout with his teammates.
Hours before, Hillenbrand criticized the organization and said he expected to be traded. The designated hitter and corner infielder was upset because he wasn't in the starting lineup for the second consecutive game and nobody in Toronto's front office congratulated him on adopting a baby girl last weekend.
The Blue Jays held a meeting before Wednesday night's 5-4 loss to Texas. Hillenbrand, reached by the Toronto Star during the game, said manager John Gibbons admonished him in front of the team.
"Gibby called a team meeting and then he stood up and reamed me out in front of my teammates," Hillenbrand told the newspaper. "I'm very disappointed about what he did and I find it very unprofessional."
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| Expect Shea Hillenbrand to land somewhere. (Getty Images) |
"It will do wonders for the clubhouse," Gibbons said.
General manager J.P. Ricciardi cited irrevocable differences and said: "His version of events are different from ours."
Hillenbrand was batting .301 with 12 homers, 15 doubles and 39 RBI. The Blue Jays have 10 days to trade, release or send him outright to the minors.
With the trade deadline approaching July 31, Hillenbrand figures to draw interest from at least a couple of contending teams looking for offense.
"I love my teammates here, but I'm waiting to be traded," Hillenbrand said during a profanity-filled tirade before the game. "I should have been traded two months ago."
Hillenbrand, who will turn 31 next week, left the team last Friday to be with his family for the adoption and didn't return until Tuesday.
"They are making me feel like I did something wrong," Hillenbrand said.
He added that he should have just stayed home, and the team should trade him if it's not going to play him.
Call Him Q-Basa 
