Toronto weighing spot for Bichette in ALCS roster

TORONTO -- Blue Jays manager John Schneider said connected Saturday the squad has not decided whether to transportation shortstop Bo Bichette connected its American League Championship Series roster.

Bichette has not played since spraining his near genu successful a collision connected Sept. 6. He ran for the archetypal clip connected Wednesday, deed unrecorded pitching connected Friday and ran the bases for the archetypal clip connected Saturday. Game 1 against the Seattle Mariners is scheduled for Sunday nighttime astatine Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays person until 10 a.m. Sunday to finalize their roster.

Schneider hinted that the nine would not transportation Bichette connected the roster if helium is not disposable to play immediately, though helium opened the doorway to carrying Bichette if he's not disposable to play each day.

"I'm trying to measurement out, is [his availability] each day?" Schneider said. "Is it disconnected the bench? Obviously you privation his bat successful the lineup. I deliberation conscionable benignant of getting to the spot with him and getting his feedback, him being portion of it, however much, if astatine all, he's going to beryllium compromised. And if not, OK, and however that affects everyone other that we're going to effort to usage and deploy.

"To accidental mundane availability would beryllium best-case scenario, yeah, that's beauteous easy. But I deliberation it's a weird clip crunch with the bid starting time and him having to cheque immoderate boxes present today, too."

Toronto's discourtesy did not falter without the 27-year-old Bichette successful the ALDS. The Blue Jays scored 34 runs successful the 4 games and pounded the New York Yankees pitching for 23 runs successful the archetypal 2 games astatine home. But Bichette was 1 of the team's 3 champion hitters during the regular season.

A escaped cause this winter, Bichette rebounded from a dreadful, injury-plagued 2024 play successful which helium posted a .598 OPS successful 81 games to his erstwhile All-Star-level signifier successful his level year. He batted .311 -- tied for 2nd successful the AL -- with 18 location runs, 94 RBI and an .840 OPS successful 139 games, though helium was the worst antiaircraft shortstop successful the majors arsenic measured by Outs Above Average and Defensive Runs Saved.

The surehanded Andres Gimenez, antecedently the team's starting 2nd baseman, started astatine shortstop for the Blue Jays successful their four-game ALDS triumph implicit Yankees. Utilityman Ernie Clement besides played shortstop during the regular play aft Bichette's injury.

One happening the Blue Jays cognize for definite is Kevin Gausman volition commencement Game 1 for the 2nd consecutive bid other Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller. Schneider said Trey Yesavage (Game 2) and Shane Bieber (Game 3) volition "most likely" travel Gausman arsenic they did successful the ALDS.

The Blue Jays carried 13 pitchers and presumption players successful the ALDS and Schneider indicated they volition bash truthful again successful the ALCS. The composition, however, could beryllium antithetic with Games 3, 4, and 5 scheduled for consecutive days successful Seattle and 5 games successful six days slated to reason the seven-game series.

After carrying conscionable 3 starters successful the ALDS and deploying a bullpen crippled successful Game 4, the Blue Jays could transportation 1 of -- oregon some of -- Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt, who finished the play connected the injured database with backmost inflammation, arsenic different imaginable enactment for length. Both starters threw successful a simulated crippled aboriginal successful the week at...