The Red Sox have suffered another injury setback, this time under uniquely bizarre circumstances.

During an appearance on WEEI’s “Jones and Mego” Show, Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced that rookie outfielder Wilyer Abreu is headed to the injured list with a sprained ankle. Abreu suffered the injury on Sunday when he stumbled down the dugout steps between innings, and while the rookie said postgame that he didn’t expect to miss time, subsequent testing revealed the injury was worse than initially feared.

“Bad news, Willy’s going to the IL. Ankle sprain,” Cora said. “Everyone saw what happened in the dugout in the seventh or eighth inning. He had an MRI yesterday and he’s going to see a specialist now so we’ll know how bad it is.”

Losing Abreu is the latest blow for a team that has been hit hard by the injury all season long. The club has lost starting shortstop Trevor Story and starting pitchers Lucas Giolito and Garrett Whitlock to season-ending injuries, and first baseman Triston Casas, outfielder Tyler O’Neill and designated hitter Masataka Yoshida are all currently on the IL as well.

With so many of the club’s big bats sidelined, Abreu had emerged as a crucial presence at the top of the lineup. The 24-year-old is currently batting .272 with six home runs, 22 RBI, seven stolen bases and an .829 OPS, all of which rank among the best of this year’s rookie class.

As of this writing the Red Sox have not announced any official roster moves, though MassLive’s Chris Cotillo reported earlier Tuesday that catcher Tyler Heineman was being called up from Triple-A.