The Blue Jays announced on Tuesday that Shortstop Bo Bichette is on its way to the 10-day injured list due to a sprain of the left knee.
The IL placement is retroactively until 7 September. Bichette is eligible to return in eight days, although the team has not provided any time. Outfielder Joey Loperfido has been recalled from Triple-A Buffalo to take the place of Bichette on the active schedule.
Losing Bo Bichette is huge for the Toronto Blue Jays
Losing the 27-year-old Bichette for a certain period is a potential gut punching for the first place Jays, who have a two-game lead over the Yankees and a three-game lead over the Red Sox in the Al East. Bichette is not only reflected from last year’s injury season has enjoyed one of the most productive seasons of his career. In 628 plate performances he cuts .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs, 44 Doubles, a triple, a running speed of 6.4 percent (good shy of the competition average but one of its best figures) and a small strikeout rate of 14.6 percent.
Bichette has been particularly hot in the past two months and placed a ridiculous one .380/.431/.580 battle line (182 WRC+) with six gay people, 23 Doubles, a running speed of 8 percent and a strike output of 11.6 percent in a wingspan of 225 plate performances.
Who takes the place of Bo Bichette in the Line -Up?
Set aside with Bichette for at least the next eight games, Ernie Clement and/or Isiah Kiner-Falefa will probably perform and fill the void at Shortstop. Clement will get the first short stop nod on Tuesday evening, and although he cannot match Bichette’s attack, he is a superior defender in the position.
That will free Addison Barger to play the third base more, while Loperfido is at Kiner-Falefa, Nathan Lukes, Dulton Varsho, George Springer, Davis Schneider and Myles Straw under the team’s outfield options. It will be Loperfido, Varsho and Lukes on Tuesday evening (left field to right respectively). Springer hits Leadoff in the designated Hitter slot.
In addition to the immediate schedule and the consequences of the late season, the injury is particularly poorly timed for Bichette from a personal position. He would certainly say that this conversation has a backseat for team needs and hope after the season, but Bichette is a free agent at the end of the season.
His bounce back effort has positioned him as one of the best free agents in the coming market. If he can return after a relatively short stay, this probably has no real impact on his earning capacity. But if Bichette requires remarkable absence or struggles in his return while he is dealing with persistent effects of the injury, his health will be a much prominent question when he looks at his free agent market this winter.
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