A rather large speed bump has appeared on the Blue Jays’ road to a division title.聽Bo Bichette was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to Sept. 7, with a sprained left knee.
Bichette was injured on a play at the plate in Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the Yankees in New York, slamming into catcher Austin Wells as he slid home. The 27-year-old shortstop got to his feet in obvious pain and limped off the field. He was able to finish the game, but likely only because of a 106-minute rain delay that began as soon as he got into the dugout.
“He was a little bit more sore on Sunday, like shin, a little bit knee,” Jays manager John Schneider said Tuesday. “And then same (Monday), so we got an MRI that showed that (sprain), so he’s on the IL.”
Teams generally reveal the severity of an injury but, in this case, the Jays did not. When asked, Schneider claimed not to know the grade of Bichette’s sprain, that no one had told him.
Bichette will be shut down for a week, which makes it difficult to imagine he will be able to return the first day he is eligible, Sept. 17.
“We obviously want him back as soon as we can,” Schneider said. “I don’t have a clear timetable right now.”
The Jays’ goal聽isn’t to just make the playoffs, it’s also to avoid the wild-card round and head
There are some concerns in the Jays clubhouse that Bichette might be out a while.
“Hopefully we’re playing long enough that he can try to make a comeback late in the post-season,” said infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa, one of the players who will step in during Bichette’s absence, in an interview that can be heard on the Sept. 11 episode of “Deep Left Field,” the Star’s baseball podcast.
“It’s such a tough loss. He was going to have 200 hits this year. He could have won the batting title 鈥 Hopefully, things work out (and) he’s able to come back, but we’re going to do everything we can to give him another opportunity this year.”
Kiner-Falefa played 94 games at shortstop for Pittsburgh this season before the Jays claimed him on waivers at the end of August, but it was Ernie Clement who started there Tuesday against the American League West-leading Houston Astros.
It was Clement’s 13th start at shortstop this season, to go with 65 at third base, 38 at second and six at first.
“You can’t replace a bat like that,” Clement said of Bichette, who is hitting .311 with an .840 OPS, leading the majors with 44 doubles and leading the Blue Jays with 94 RBIs. “You can’t replace a guy like that in the lineup. But guys are going to have to step up. I’m going to have to play a good shortstop while he’s gone and weather the storm until he gets back.”
Clement is looking forward to the assignment.
“I can’t wait,” said the 29-year-old, who carried a career-high .275 batting average into Tuesday’s game. “I think it’s a great challenge. I think a lot of guys are going to get some cool opportunities down the stretch. Every game means something these days so, yeah, I’m looking forward to stepping up for the boys.”
Several Jays have stepped up in big spots in 2025, but these five have the best case for team
Bichette is聽in the conversation for the Jays’ MVP this year along with George Springer, who leads the team in home runs, OPS and stolen bases and is hitting聽.300 after Tuesday’s game.
How can the Jays overcome the loss of Bichette at such a pivotal point in the season?
“You don’t have a choice,” said Springer, who played on three division winners with the Astros from 2017 to 2019. “It’s unfortunate. It sucks. But just like when anybody goes down, you’ve just got to say ‘next man up’ and go.”
Springer understands that Bichette getting hurt is not just like anybody else.
“He’s been having a hell of a year,” Springer said. “He’s very, very valuable to us, so for him to go down is not ideal for anybody, but I think guys understand that they’re going to have to step up.”
That doesn’t mean just Clement and Kiner-Falefa, either, even though they’ll be the ones to man Bichette’s position while he’s gone, with Andr茅s Gim茅nez likely to remain at second base.
“It has to be everyone, kind of what we’ve done all year,” Schneider said. “It’s not (for) one guy (to) try harder or do more, it’ll take all 14 of them, you know?”
奥丑别苍听Daulton Varsho pulled his hamstring in late May and missed two months, the Jays patched that hole, mostly with Myles Straw and Nathan Lukes, and were in better shape when Varsho returned than when he left.
Springer missed three weeks with a concussion and the Jays went 10-7 without him. They overcame a week without Alejandro Kirk and five games without Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
But with聽18 games left and a slim three-game lead in the division, the loss of Bichette seems like the one that will the most difficult to overcome.
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation