Toronto — A tough weekend for the Braves got tougher Sunday when Chipper Jones said there was a "distinct" chance he would go on the 15-day disabled list for a lingering quadriceps injury.

The major league hitting leader would miss a big home series against National League East leader Philadelphia that starts Tuesday, plus at least two more series with the Astros and the Dodgers.

"Bottom line, I'd miss nine or 10 [more] days that, quite frankly, I'm probably going to need" for the injury to heal, Jones said after Sunday's 1-0 loss against the Toronto Blue Jays, the eighth consecutive start he missed since reinjuring his partially torn quad muscle.

"About two days after I hurt it I had some improvement, but I haven't gotten any better since."

Jones' DL stint would be retroactive to Thursday, the day after he last pinch-hit. He would be eligible to come off July 11, the opener of a three-game series at San Diego leading into the All-Star break.

"I don't think Chipper's close to playing," Braves manager Bobby Cox said Sunday.

The Braves already planned to activate center fielder Mark Kotsay from the DL Tuesday. Kotsay missed five weeks with a bulging disc, and was 6-for-18 in five injury-rehab games at Class AA Mississippi.

Rookie outfielder Brandon Jones was assumed to be the leading candidate to be sent to the minors to make room for Kotsay. Now, it seems likely the elder Jones will clear a spot.

If the injury lingers, it could put Jones' All-Star Game participation in jeopardy.

His .394 average leads the major leagues by a substantial margin, and his All-Star votes total leads National League third baseman by a similarly wide gap. It would be his first All-Star Game since 2001, after playing in the Midsummer Classic five times in a six-year span through then.

While eager to play in the July 15 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, Jones might miss it.

"Make no bones about it, I would love to play in it," he said. "But if my body doesn't allow me, that's just a tough break."

Of more immediate concern: The Braves will likely be without their best hitter against the Phillies.

"About 50 percent is all I can do [running], and I'm not any help for us at 50 percent," said Jones, who now wishes he'd gone on the DL immediately after reinjuring the quad muscle on June 20.

"We probably should have DL'd me right when it happened," he said. "I knew it was worse than the previous time it happened. But the competitive side of me wanted to keep playing. I've always been a quick healer, and I thought I'd be able to play in five or six days."

He can hit and field, but not run. "And if you can't run the bases, you can't do anything," he said.

Escobar, Infante updates

The Braves also played the Toronto series without shortstop Yunel Escobar and infielder Omar Infante, but Cox expects to have Escobar back in the lineup Tuesday.

Then again, he said the same thing last Wednesday about having Escobar in the lineup against Toronto. The Braves thought he'd be ready after the off day Thursday, but he's been slow to heal.

Escobar has missed four starts since jamming his left shoulder when he dove back to first base attempting to avoid a double play.

Escobar said the shoulder was still sore Sunday morning, but Cox said the player felt a lot better later in batting practice than he had the previous few days.

Infante has been out since pulling his right hamstring Wednesday.

Etc.

Jeff Francoeur went 0-for-11 with four strikeouts in Toronto, making him 5-for-40 with one RBI and 13 strikeouts in his past 12 games. He's hit .222 with five homers in his past 64 games. ... Gregor Blanco was 2-for-4 Sunday and is 10-for-17 with three RBIs in the past four games. He's hit .333 with a .381 on-base percentage in his past 16 games.