The 2024 season may be winding down for the Toronto Blue Jays, but the roster churn continues at full speed.
The club made several moves over the last two days, the most significant of which was activating shortstop Bo Bichette from the injured list ahead of Tuesday’s 13-8 loss to the Texas Rangers. Bichette went 2-for-5 in his return.
Bichette had been on the IL with a right calf strain since July 20. It was the second time the 26-year-old hit the IL with the same injury this season. In all, Bichette missed 61 games.
The time missed with injury paired with uncharacteristically poor production when on the field — Bichette was hitting .222 with a .595 OPS when he returned from the IL — have made this an exceptionally trying season for the Blue Jays shortstop. Bichette returned with only 12 games remaining but told reporters in Texas he was “grateful” to be back with his team, playing the game he loves.
Reunited and it feels so good 🥹 pic.twitter.com/wz9gpNgvXN
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 18, 2024
Along with activating Bichette, the Blue Jays also placed Daulton Varsho on the 10-day IL with a right shoulder strain and Will Wagner on the 60-day IL with left knee inflammation. Earlier this week, the Blue Jays claimed catcher Tyler Heineman off waivers from the Boston Red Sox and designated Brian Serven for assignment.
Let’s review some takeaways on Bichette’s return and the other roster moves.
What Bichette can accomplish in the final two weeks
No, Bichette will not be able to rewrite the narrative of his 2024 season in the season’s final dozen games. He could hit .500 in the next two weeks and still finish with a career-worst season. But returning to the lineup can be meaningful to Bichette in other ways.
For starters, spending two months on the IL, some of which was spent rehabbing alone in Florida, had to have been a trying, tedious and, at times, difficult experience, especially for someone as fueled by competition as Bichette is. A reflective Bichette expressed to reporters in Arlington on Tuesday, including Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith, that he was happy to be playing baseball again. “I feel grateful to have the opportunity to get back out here and play the game that I love,” he said. “So I’ve got two more weeks to do it, and I’m just excited to be here.”
Returning to the lineup is also a chance to prove he’s fully healthy. As mentioned, Bichette has missed more than a third of the 2024 season with the right calf strains and it was the latest in a string of injuries affecting his right leg, which included knee and quad injuries last season. If Bichette can play without any limitations, it’ll reassure him that he is 100 percent and he can go into the offseason attacking the work needed to return to his previous form next year.
As Blue Jays manager John Schneider said recently, “He probably would have had the longest offseason ever if he didn’t get back playing,” Schneider said. “He would have been going crazy. He wants to push the envelope a little bit and see how he can finish up.”
And while a productive finish at the plate is not going to drastically move the needle in terms of his batting stats, ending the season swinging the bat well — and looking more like himself — can give Bichette some positive momentum heading into the offseason and, importantly, next year.
How does this impact Bichette’s future with the Blue Jays
Getting healthy ahead of 2025 is especially important for Bichette since that’s a pivotal year for him and the franchise. It will be his final year under team control with the Blue Jays before he’s scheduled to become a free agent, assuming he doesn’t sign an extension, a possibility he recently talked about.
Performing well in a platform year is the priority for every player set to hit free agency for the first time, but it could be even more meaningful to Bichette, who may be experiencing his last huzzah with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in Toronto.
The Blue Jays first baseman will also be in his final year of team control, assuming the front office doesn’t sign Guerrero to a long-term extension in the winter. If the Blue Jays can’t sign both Bichette or Guerrero — or either — then 2025 could be their final opportunity to try to win a World Series title together with the Blue Jays, the organization they both joined as teenagers.
Could Bichette be traded before next season? Toronto general manager Ross Atkins has previously said that the club didn’t consider moving Bichette this season, but it remains to be seen if that holds true this offseason. If the Blue Jays were tempted to trade Bichette in the winter months, it will likely be important that other clubs see that Bichette ended the season healthy.
Other injury and roster notes
While Bichette returned, both Varsho and Wagner saw their seasons end on Tuesday.
Varsho was placed on the IL with a right shoulder strain and it was reported Tuesday that he’ll have rotator cuff surgery as soon as possible. Sportsnet’s Nicholson-Smith reported that Varsho’s recovery could bleed into next spring training, but the hope is the centre fielder is healthy to start next season. Wagner, meanwhile, was shut down with a knee injury that will need further evaluation.
With the Blue Jays playing out the string, it’s not a big deal both are seeing their seasons end with a handful of games remaining. It’s in the best interest of the team and players to begin the medical intervention now so the recovery process can start as soon as possible.
It becomes a concern if either injury delays the start of their 2025 seasons. Varsho is projected to be the full-time centre fielder next season, while Wagner made a strong first impression, hitting .305/.337/.451 in 24 games, and put himself in the mix for a roster spot next year. For now, the expectation is both will be ready for the start of next season.
Meanwhile, Heineman is back for his third stint with Toronto after the team claimed the 33-year-old catcher off waivers from the Red Sox. As the counter move, the Blue Jays DFA’d Serven. With only two weeks left, it’s a curious move. Serven is a below-average bat but did have a strong working relationship with Bowden Francis, who is enjoying a historically superb stretch out of the rotation.
Realistically, Serven was unlikely to be a part of the major-league roster next year, and the Blue Jays clearly like the depth Heineman offers, but it would have been nice if the tandem of Francis and Serven could have finished a strong second half together.
(Photo of Bichette in his return: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)
