Bo Bichette聽has been ruled out for the remainder of the regular season but the聽Blue Jays聽can still breathe a sigh of relief because it appears as though he will be available for the playoffs.
Bichette was sent to undergo further evaluations on his sprained left knee earlier this week. Jays manager John Schneider told reporters in Tampa prior to a 6-5 victory over the Rays on Tuesday that the followup exam聽聽Rest and rehab is all that鈥檚 required to make a full recovery.
The Jays have yet to reveal what grade the strain is, but it should be a relatively short-term issue because Bichette is tentatively scheduled to resume baseball activities later this week. While there is no time frame for his return, Schneider added the Jays 鈥渉ope to have him back as soon as possible.鈥
Bichette injured his knee while sliding into home plate in a game against the Yankees on Sept. 6. He finished the rest of that game 鈥 even after a rain delay 鈥 and hasn鈥檛 played since.
There were conflicting reports in the immediate aftermath of the injury. The Jays initially declined to get into specifics other than to say Bichette was 鈥渨eek to week鈥 after he was placed on the 15-day injured list. At the time, there was no mention his availability for October would be in doubt.
Utility infielder聽Isiah Kiner-Falefa then told the Star鈥檚 Mike Wilner聽that 鈥渉opefully we鈥檙e playing long enough that he can try to make a comeback late in the post-season.鈥 That seemed to indicate there were fears inside the clubhouse that Bichette was dealing with a significant strain, which would require a lengthy absence.
Tuesday鈥檚 update was close to a best-case scenario for the Jays. Bichette won鈥檛 have the luxury of being eased back into the lineup, but as long as he鈥檚 available there won鈥檛 be much to complain about.
The Jays are聽close to clinching a top-two record in the American League, which would earn a bye through the first round of the playoffs. Their regular season ends on Sept. 28 and if they secure the bye they won鈥檛 be required to play again until the AL Division Series starts on Oct. 4. That would give Bichette almost a full month to recover.
Bichette鈥檚 absence has yet to be felt on the field. The Jays are 7-2 since he got injured, but it would be a big ask for that success to continue. Bichette had a 200-hit season within reach before the injury and he ranks third in the majors with a .311 average. Just as crucial, he provides protection in the lineup for franchise player聽Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
With Bichette unavailable, the Jays聽transitioned Andr茅s Gim茅nez from second base to shortstop. That helped improve the defence, as evidenced by a highlight-reel diving play that Gimenez made in Monday鈥檚 2-1 victory over the Rays, yet it also represents a significant downgrade on offence.
Gimenez and his well-below average .590 on-base plus slugging percentage would have been a regular in the lineup no matter what. The Jays are instead trying to offset some of Bichette鈥檚 lost production by giving increased playing time to Davis Schneider while Joey Loperfido also remains an option. Both are good hitters, but neither one is a potential batting champion like Bichette.
Moving Addison Barger from right field to third, and Ernie Clement from third to second, gives the Jays additional flexibility to start Schneider or Loperfido. Gim茅nez would return to second, Clement likely would be back at third and Barger would be in right when Bichette is back. The potential return of injured outfielder/designated hitter Anthony Santander later this month would add another wrinkle to those plans.
If the Jays intend on making a deep run through the playoffs, they鈥檒l need Bichette. The 27-year-old is one of the few players on the current roster who has enjoyed a decent amount of success in the post-season. After going 0-for-6 during his playoff debut in 2020, he went 6-for-16 (.375) during his next two series.
The Jays still don鈥檛 know for sure if they will have him back in time. Bichette鈥檚 rehab might not advance as quickly as hoped. Even worse, he could experience a setback that rules him out for October. But Tuesday was encouraging because there鈥檚 now an expectation that Bichette will play, instead of an expectation that he won鈥檛.
What helps is that the Jays have the luxury of cruising to the finish line.聽, they have a 100 per cent chance of making the playoffs and 97.3 per cent chance of winning the division. With a five-game lead over the Yankees 鈥 six when counting the tiebreaker 鈥 nobody is breathing down their neck and threatening to steal their spot.
The Jays can afford to be patient for another two-and-a-half weeks. Once that clock expires they鈥檒l need Bichette to answer the call because their season depends on it. The latest update gives every indication that it could still happen.
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