TORONTO -- The nameplate was gone and the locker was empty -- occupied only by a row of plastic hangers, which Shea Hillenbrand hung his Blue Jays uniforms on just a few hours before.

In a strange turn of events -- which began with an angry pregame tirade by Hillenbrand, who was then reportedly chastised in front of his teammates by Toronto manager John Gibbons during a closed-door meeting -- the Blue Jays designated Hillenbrand for assignment on Wednesday. Toronto has 10 days to either trade or release their former designated hitter.

"Basically, the situation with Shea is irreconcilable differences between the player and the organization," Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi said. "We have a lot of pride in our organization and we feel like we have a good organization and we have good people here. No one is above the team. We'll leave it at that."

Prior to the Blue Jays' 5-4 loss to the Rangers on Wednesday, Hillenbrand was upset that he was not in the starting lineup and expressed his desire to be traded. It was his second game back with the Blue Jays after spending three days in Los Angeles, where he and his wife were adopting a baby girl.

When a small group of reporters approached Hillenbrand to congratulate him, Toronto's designated hitter expressed his anger over the situation -- the least of which had to do with his place in the batting order.

Hillenbrand, who left the team Friday night, arrived shortly before game time on Tuesday, but wasn't used during the loss to the Rangers. He believed, though, that he would be back in the order in the finale of the three-game series against Texas.

"Yeah, I was very surprised," said Hillenbrand, referring to being omitted from the lineup. "They knew when I was going to be here. I should've just stayed home."

According to Ricciardi, the Blue Jays were not made aware of when exactly Hillenbrand would be rejoining the team. Ricciardi added that the player was late for batting practice prior to Tuesday's game.

"We had no communication with Shea," Ricciardi said. "His communication to us went through his agent with everything. He never talked to the manager and he never talked to the front office."

When asked why Hillenbrand wasn't starting for the second straight game, Gibbons offered a simple explanation.

"He's been out four days. He needs a workout in the field," Gibbons said before the game. "I'm not sure what time he got here [on Tuesday], but he wasn't here for the workout. He got hung up somewhere. He hasn't swung the bat or taken ground balls in four days."

His place in the lineup was only a minor source of frustration for Hillenbrand, who hit .301 with 12 home runs and 39 RBIs in 81 games for the Jays this year. He was more upset that no one from Toronto's front office had taken the time to speak with him about the successful adoption -- the second such process that he and his wife, Jessica, had been through.

"Not one person from the front office has come up to congratulate me," Hillenbrand said. "Just [other] people have -- like you [reporters]. That's a disgrace."

Ricciardi said that the fact that Hillenbrand left the team to attend to the adoption situation had nothing to do with his dismissal from the team.

"I think when someone has a baby, you try to be respectful of that," Ricciardi said. "[You] give them as much time as they think they need. That's what we did."

After the pregame workout on Wednesday, the Blue Jays held a closed-door meeting, in which Gibbons openly criticized Hillenbrand in front of his teammates, according to the Toronto Star. Gibbons told reporters to leave the clubhouse before the meeting -- roughly 45 minutes before the media is typically prohibited from the room.

When reached by cell phone during the game, Hillenbrand, who remained in the clubhouse once play began, told the paper that Gibbons was upset about Hillenbrand's conduct during a pregame incident. Hillenbrand said he and another player were "fooling around," but didn't think it warranted the manager's outburst.

Hillenbrand told the paper that Gibbons called a team meeting, during which he was critical of Hillenbrand. "I'm very disappointed about what he did and I find it very unprofessional," Hillenbrand said.

After the game, Gibbons chose not to speak about the meeting, saying simply, "There are always two sides of a story -- trust me."

Ricciardi reiterated Gibbons' comments, but chose not to elaborate.

"Let me just say this, Shea's version of what's happened and our version of what's happened are two different things. I'll leave it at that," Ricciardi said. "There was a team meeting that stays a team meeting. It's really none of your business what happened in there."

What happened behind closed doors was enough to anger Hillenbrand so much that he chose not to join the rest of the Blue Jays in the home dugout for Wednesday's game. At that point, the Jays designated Hillenbrand for assignment during the game. He packed his belongings and headed to his home in Toronto before the conclusion of the game against Texas.

Hillenbrand, who is making $5.8 million this year and will be a free agent this offseason, has had his name involved in a number of trade rumors this season. In May, Hillenbrand was rumored to be part of a deal with the Angels that would've brought second baseman Adam Kennedy to the Blue Jays.

Hillenbrand has expressed his displeasure with serving as a full-time DH this season and said that this latest incident only furthered his desire to join another team -- an option that the Blue Jays now have 10 days to explore.

"I love my teammates, but I'm waiting to get traded," Hillenbrand said. "I should've been traded two months ago. They're paying me $6 million for this?"

Hillenbrand said that he was upset with how Toronto treated the current situation and believed it was an example of why the team wasn't higher in the standings. The Blue Jays currently sit in third place in the American League East -- 5 1/2 games behind the first-place Red Sox.

"It's what have you done for me lately," Hillenbrand said. "No wonder this team is not winning."

The limited time frame that Toronto has to possibly deal Hillenbrand will most likely negatively affect what the Blue Jays could receive for him. That was something that Ricciardi wasn't concerned about, considering the situation.

"Ever since you're a little kid and you learn about teamwork, the most important thing is that we're a team," Ricciardi said. "This is a situation where, if it hurts us as a team, we have to do what's right for the organization."