Article: How Will Bo Bichette’s Injury Affect the Blue Jays?

[Bryan Jaeger]

The Toronto Blue Jays have entered the final weeks of the season. They hold a narrow lead over the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in the AL East. Teams hope to be at their best for the final push, but the Blue Jays recently suffered a massive blow. On Saturday, star shortstop Bo Bichette sustained a knee sprain and landed on the injured list.

He will miss at least the next seven days (his IL placement was retroactive to Sept. 7), but a timetable for his return has not yet been set. The good news is that after the Houston Astros series, the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays are next on the schedule, two teams with records of .500 or worse.

Hopefully, this injury isn't severe, and Bichette can return before the postseason begins. However, if the Blue Jays can lock up the AL East title early, they may hold him out a little longer to ensure he's healthy for the postseason. With that in mind, it's essential to consider how the team will address his absence on the field.

Replacing Bichette will be a significant challenge, as his offensive contributions (.311 batting average, .357 on-base percentage, 94 RBI, and 18 home runs) are difficult to match. Without him, the lineup loses both production and consistency at the plate, potentially weakening the team's ability to generate runs during a critical stretch.

The 27-year-old has also improved his walk-to-strikeout ratio this season to 0.44, a career high. This is thanks to dropping his strikeout rate by five percentage points to a career low (14.5%).

What's more, there's a reason he had been batting fourth, a spot typically reserved for a team's best power hitter. He's producing big numbers and consistently puts the ball in play, helping him drive in runs. His 94 RBI lead the team; no one else has driven in so many as 80. 

Thus, Bichette is now set to receive a big payday this offseason when he hits free agency. Replicating his production won't be easy.

Joey Loperfido was recalled to take Bichette's roster spot, but he's an outfielder, so Ernie Clement will likely be the one who primarily mans shortstop for the time being. Clement has been a utility man all season, mainly filling in at second and third base, but he should still be a defensive upgrade over Bichette. However, he severely lacks the offensive production that Bichette provided from the middle of the batting order.

In 523 appearances at the plate, Clement has scored 71 runs with nine home runs, 42 knocked in, and a slash line of .275/.312/.398. Due to a lack of power, Clement will likely continue to bat in the bottom third of the lineup. Daulton Varsho, who is enjoying an impressive power surge this season, will likely move up one spot in the lineup to keep a power bat in the four hole.

Clement could receive some help from the newly acquired Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Kiner-Falefa was waived by the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 29 and later claimed by the Blue Jays. He returned to Toronto after having signed a two-year deal with the team in 2024 and then being traded to the Pirates at last season's trade deadline.

Kiner-Falefa brings another veteran glove to the field, but he hasn't produced much with the bat this season. In 428 plate appearances with the Pirates, he scored 40 runs and drove in 35; however, he only homered once. That lack of production could be at least partially due to playing for a struggling Pirates team. Still, he will likely only be used to give Clement rest at shortstop, unless another injury occurs.

Defensively, the loss of Bichette is less severe. The Blue Jays won't lose much, as Clement is a very solid infielder. Bichette has -0.5 dWAR on the season (per Baseball Reference) with 12 errors and a .972 fielding percentage in 426 total chances. Clement improves upon those numbers with his 2.1 dWAR, 10 errors, and .977 fielding percentage over 442 total chances. With Clement moving to shortstop, Addison Barger will likely leave right field to cover third base more regularly, while Nathan Lukes, Davis Schneider, Myles Straw, and Loperfido (and occasionally George Springer) will hold down the outfield corners.

No matter how you look at the situation, the Blue Jays were dealt a troubling card. The offense had been rolling, ranking fourth in runs (715) and leading MLB in batting average (.269) and on-base percentage (.338) before Bichette's injury. Bichette was a major contributor to that success. Hopefully, the Blue Jays can manage to secure the AL East title while Bichette returns to full health, and their shortstop is able to return for the deep postseason run that the fans are anticipating.

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