The Blue Jays are coming off an impressive four-game win over the Yankees in the ALDS this past week, and it’s even more impressive when you consider that they managed to do it without one of their star players. Short stop Bo bichette has been on the injured list since early September due to a left knee sprain and therefore did not participate in the Division Series. With the ALCS against the Mariners starting tomorrow, it appears no decision has been made yet on Bichette’s status.
Earlier this afternoon, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson Smith said that, according to Jays manager John Schneider, Bichette hit against live pitching yesterday and ran the bases today. Schneider added that how Bichette responds to that increase in activity will help determine whether or not he is selected for the ALCS. Keegan Matheson of MLB.com elaborated on that, noting that Schneider suggested the decision on Bichette would be one of the last they make before the rosters are announced tomorrow morning. According to Matheson, Bichette still seemed to experience discomfort while running the bases today, and he suggested that Bichette might be limited to a DH role if he returns to action.
As Matheson notes, a DH role for Bichette would be a boost George Springer into the outfield and force a fellow outfielder like Nathan Lucas or Anthony Santander from the setup. That’s certainly only something they would do if they were confident Bichette was healthy enough to make a substantial contribution at the plate. On the other hand, if Bichette isn’t quite ready to return but is making enough progress, Toronto could opt to include him even if he were unavailable for Game 1. However, that would come with significant risk. If he were to be placed back on the injured list at any point in the ALCS, he would be ineligible for the World Series if the Jays advance.
As Toronto moved forward with the rotation, he made the somewhat brave decision to leave both Chris Bassitt And Max Scherzer from their ALDS roster. Both experienced starters were left out for understandable reasons; Scherzer struggled mightily late in the year, while Bassitt wasn’t fully stretched after being placed on the injured list in late September. That was fine for a set of five games on which the team could rely heavily Kevin Gambman, Trey YesavageAnd Shane Bieber to handle starting duties, but Schneider acknowledged to reporters (including Nicholson-Smith) that both Bassitt and Scherzer will be in the mix for the club’s roster, given the need for them “more length” in a series of seven games. All of these roster decisions will be made tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. CT, when rosters for both clubs will be finalized.
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