DETROIT -- Scott Downs decided to ditch his crutches, which leaned inside his locker in the vistors' clubhouse at Comerica Park on Thursday morning. The Blue Jays pitcher did agree to wear a protective boot on his right foot, but only at the insistence of the team's medical staff.

"He really didn't want to use it," Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said with a chuckle.

Now, after spraining his right ankle in the ninth inning on Wednesday night, Downs is hoping to convince Toronto that he doesn't require a trip to the disabled list. The Jays plan on playing at least the next couple games one short in their bullpen in order to give Downs a chance at a swift recovery.

Toronto's thinking is that a handful of games without having its setup man available is better than immediately placing him on the DL, shelving him for more than two weeks. Downs said he hopes to be able to pitch this weekend in Boston, though it's more likely that he'll remain sidelined at least until the Jays begin a six-game homestand on Tuesday.

"I probably won't pitch there, I wouldn't think," said Downs, referring to Toronto's upcoming three-game series in Boston. "But, of course, that's what I'm shooting for. It could be days. It's just going to be a matter of what I can tolerate with movement and how mobile I'm going to be out on the mound."

Downs rolled his ankle while sprinting off the mound in order to back up home plate on Wednesday night. The left-handed reliever isn't sure about the specifics, but said he doesn't believe the wet conditions -- caused by a rain delay earlier in the game -- had anything to do with his injury.

The 32-year-old reliever said he felt something pop in his ankle, making him initially fear that he'd severely injured his foot. After being helped off the field by Toronto head trainer George Poulis, Downs had X-rays taken. They came back negative.

"I was going to back up home, and I went to turn," Downs said. "I don't know if my spike caught or if I caught the lip of the baseline or what. I went to turn, caught, popped it and rolled it pretty good. From there, it was kind of a blur."

For now, Gaston said he might consider using left-hander Jesse Carlson in the eighth inning until the club better knows Downs' status. Downs has been an integral part of the 'pen, which leads the Majors with a 2.87 ERA -- the only bullpen ERA below 3.00 in baseball.

In a team-high 54 appearance this season, Downs has posted a 1.40 ERA with 51 strikeouts and 21 walks over 57 2/3 innings. Downs, who signed a three-year contract worth $10 million over the offseason, has allowed just four earned runs since April and has compiled 18 holds for Toronto.

"He told me he could pitch on Saturday," Gaston said with a laugh. "We're going to wait and see what happens in the next few days. If it's OK, then we don't have to DL him. If it's not, then we have to think about doing that.

"We're just going to see if we can get by with what we have right now, because if he can come back in five days, it's better than putting him on the DL and losing him that long. We just have to hope that our pitchers can give us seven or eight innings."

Downs is hoping the injury doesn't bring what would undoubtedly be an unfortunate conclusion to what's been a strong season for the southpaw.

"I hate having days off as it is," he said. "To go on the DL for something like that is something you're not wanting to do. ... Hopefully, it's not going to come down to that, but it would be about as disappointing as an end of the season could be."