TORONTO — Blue Jays supervisor John Schneider stated Saturday the crew has not determined whether or not to hold shortstop Bo Bichette on its American League Championship Collection roster.
Bichette has not performed since spraining his left knee in a collision on Sept. 6. He ran for the primary time Wednesday, hit dwell pitching Friday and ran the bases for the primary time Saturday.
Recreation 1 towards the Seattle Mariners is scheduled for Sunday evening at Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays have till 10 a.m. Sunday to finalize their roster.
Schneider hinted that the membership wouldn’t carry Bichette on the roster if he’s not obtainable to play instantly, although he opened the door to carrying Bichette if he’s not obtainable to play each day.
“I’m attempting to weigh out, is [his availability] each day?” Schneider stated. “Is it off the bench? Clearly, you need his bat within the lineup. I feel simply form of attending to the spot with him and getting his suggestions, him being a part of it, how a lot, if in any respect, he’s going to be compromised. And if not, OK, and the way that impacts everybody else that we’re going to attempt to use and deploy.
“To say every-day availability can be best-case situation, yeah, that’s fairly simple. However I feel it’s a bizarre time crunch with the sequence beginning tomorrow and him having to test some containers right here right now too.”
Toronto’s offense didn’t falter with out the 27-year-old Bichette within the AL Division Collection. The Blue Jays scored 34 runs within the 4 video games and pounded the New York Yankees’ pitching for 23 runs within the first two video games at house. However Bichette was one of many crew’s three finest hitters throughout the common season.
A free agent this winter, Bichette rebounded from a dreadful, injury-plagued 2024 season through which he posted a .598 OPS in 81 video games to his earlier All-Star-level kind in his platform yr. He batted .311 — tied for second within the AL — with 18 house runs, 94 RBI and an .840 OPS in 139 video games, although he was the worst defensive shortstop within the majors as measured by outs above common and defensive runs saved.
The surehanded Andres Gimenez, beforehand the crew’s beginning second baseman, began at shortstop for the Blue Jays of their 3-1 division sequence win over Yankees. Utilityman Ernie Clement additionally performed shortstop for Toronto throughout the common season after Bichette’s harm.
One factor the Blue Jays know for positive is Kevin Gausman will begin Recreation 1 for the second straight sequence reverse Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller. Schneider stated Trey Yesavage (Recreation 2) and Shane Bieber (Recreation 3) will “almost certainly” comply with Gausman, as they did within the ALDS.
The Blue Jays carried 13 pitchers and place gamers within the ALDS, and Schneider indicated they may accomplish that once more within the ALCS. The composition, nevertheless, could possibly be totally different, with Video games 3, 4, and 5 scheduled for consecutive days in Seattle and 5 video games in six days slated to conclude the seven-game sequence.
After carrying simply three starters within the ALDS and deploying a bullpen sport in Recreation 4, the Blue Jays might carry certainly one of — or each of — Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt, who completed the season on the injured record with again irritation, as one other attainable choice for size. Each starters threw in a simulated sport early within the week at Rogers Centre.
“They’re each feeling good and are undoubtedly prepared and obtainable,” Schneider stated. “Completely different format, clearly, seven video games, three in a row, all that form of stuff. Yeah, [I] might undoubtedly see them being a part of it.”