The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the New York Yankees on Wednesday, ending their season, while they advance to the ALCS. This is the first time the team has been here since the 2016 season, when they lost to the Cleveland Guardians.
Impressively, Toronto has advanced without one of its key stars, Bo Bichette. He is dealing with a posterior cruciate ligament sprain, which he suffered on September 6.
However, he is hoping to return for the ALCS. On Wednesday, he was seen jogging on the field at Yankee Stadium, exciting the fan base.
Silver Slugger on the hot seat as Blue Jays prep for Bo Bichette's return
While Bo Bichette is preparing for his return, the Blue Jays will face some tough decisions. If he were to return in a DH role to preserve his injury concerns, another player would get the short end of the stick, via MLB.com's Keegan Matheson.
"If Bichette's a DH, that means George Springer is an outfielder, something he has done just nine times since the beginning of August. Depending on matchups, this would bump one of either Anthony Santander or Nathan Lukes to the bench. It also feels difficult to envision the Blue Jays being comfortable with an outfield defense of Santander and Springer on either side of Dalton Varsho."
Matheson points out that former Silver Slugger Anthony Santander could be moved to the bench in the ALCS. He has been a bit shaky this season, especially at the plate after signing his five-year, $92.5 million contract this past offseason.
Bichette's return as a DH would also move George Springer back into the outfield. With limited experience there lately, Toronto's outfield defense will be one to keep an eye on.