The Blue Jays announced that shortstop Bo Bichette has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 28, with a right quad strain. Infielder Mason McCoy has been selected to the roster in a corresponding move. The club already had a 40-man vacancy.
For Bichette, it’s his second trip to the IL this month, as he landed there in early August due to patellar tendinitis in his right knee. The Jays acquired Paul DeJong from the Cardinals to cover for Bichette’s absence but he hit just .068/.068/.068 for the Jays and was designated for assignment when Bichette returned just over two weeks later. Unfortunately, Bichette departed a game earlier this week due to quad tightness and it seems it’s serious enough that the club will give him at least a week-plus to rest. The club hasn’t provided any details on how long they expect Bichette to be out.
The move leaves the Jays without both of their regulars from the left side of their infield, as third baseman Matt Chapman landed on the IL yesterday due to a right middle finger sprain. That will leave the club improving solutions for those spots as they look to stay afloat in the American League Wild Card race. Perhaps the club has some regret over letting go of DeJong, but he hasn’t been thriving since signing with the Giants, hitting just .150/.143/.300 since signing with that club.
Ernie Clement played shortstop for the Jays yesterday and is in that spot again tonight. Davis Schneider was at the hot corner last night but Santiago Espinal gets the nod tonight, as Schneider moves over to second. Cavan Biggio has some third base experience and the club reportedly has some openness to using Vladimir Guerrero Jr. there as well, though it sounds like that might be limited to late-game defensive swaps based on in-game moves.
They will also add McCoy to their roster to serve as infield depth. He was just acquired a month ago from the Mariners with Trent Thornton heading the other way. The 28-year-old McCoy has long been considered a strong defender, though with his bat not drawing as much praise. In 467 Triple-A appearances this year, he’s walked at a 12% clip but also struck out 29.3% of the time. His .226/.324/.383 line amounts to a wRC+ of just 71, but he’s been able to play some shortstop, second base, third base and left field. He’ll give the Jays a glove-first option on the bench, making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.
Active rosters expand from 26 to 28 in September, which will provide the Jays an opportunity to potentially add another infielder into the mix. A maximum of 14 of the 28 players can be pitchers, meaning the Jays will have to add at least one position player, as they currently have a 13-13 split. Addison Barger, Orelvis Martinez and Spencer Horwitz are all on the 40-man roster and could be options. Barger and Martinez both have plenty of experience on the left side of the diamond but neither has made their major league debut yet. Horwitz was able to debut in the big leagues earlier this year but has mostly just played first base and left field. Outfielder Nathan Lukes is also on the 40-man but doesn’t have any infield experience.