3 ways the Blue Jays can replace Bo Bichette if his injury proves to be serious

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The 2023 Toronto Blue Jays have been a shockingly healthy team. With so many clubs around the league (Tigers, Angels to name a few) who have been absolutely riddled by injuries, the Jays' biggest losses so far have come in the form of a Danny Jansen and Zach Pop short IL stint and the Tommy John recoveries from Hyun Jin Ryu and Chad Green.

Other than that, there have been short flare-ups here and there for Kevin Gausman and George Springer. The Blue Jays have gotten very lucky in that there have not been any superstars going down with long-term injuries.

In Monday night's contest against the Orioles, star shortstop Bo Bichette came up limping after rounding first base and was replaced at short by Santiago Espinal.

Per the Blue Jays' Twitter account, the official diagnosis is "right knee discomfort" ... which is rather obvious after watching the play unfold. Knowing the tight-lipped Jays, there is likely not going to be another more in-depth update until a decision is being made about whether he is to go on the injured list or not.

Since the MLB trade deadline is upon us, this is going to throw Blue Jays fans into a tizzy. The rumor mill is about to be lit up with middle infield names being tied to the Jays. Internal? External? There are going to be multiple different avenues the club could go if Bichette's inury proves to be serious.

Let's look at 3 ways the Blue Jays can replace Bo Bichette if his injury is a long-term one.

Tim Anderson of the Chicago White Sox

Tim Anderson, 30, has seen his name being tossed around the rumor mill all season so far. Unfortunately, he is mired in one of the biggest slumps he's ever had over the course of his eight-year big league career.

Through 82 games for the struggling White Sox, Anderson has just one home run with a .245 batting average, .578 OPS and an OPS+ of just 60. The OPS+ is especially of note because it suggests that the two-time All-Star is 40 percent below league-average at the plate, which is a shocking fall from grace out of a player who was once seen as one of the premier shortstops in the game.

What makes Anderson attractive to a team like the Blue Jays is the fact that he has an extensive reputation as a speedy, power-hitting shortstop who plays slick defense and has a winner's mindset. Over the course of his career, he has consistently been known as one of the better hitting middle infielders in the game, and it's worth noting that his current slump could just be a temporary setback.

A free agent at the end of the current season, Anderson's expiring contract and lowered statistics could put him right into the wheelhouse of Ross Atkins and the Blue Jays. He can play either short or second base and could very easily be a short term replacement for Bo Bichette and then a longer-term replacement for one of Santiago Espinal or Cavan Biggio if a deal comes together.

For what it's worth, Anderson was recently linked to the Blue Jays with the club apparently eyeing him as a second base option. This would give merit to the above suggestion of him playing shortstop until Bichette returns, only to later slide over to second.

One of the many Cardinals infielders

This one is much more open-ended, as there are a bunch of different shortstop-capable players that the Cardinals could end up moving. Each of Paul DeJong, Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan are apparently available in trade talks and each of them could appeal to the Blue Jays.

DeJong, 29, has magically remembered what it is to be a passable Major League Baseball player after struggling mightily in the past few years. A former 30-home run hitter, DeJong was optioned down to the minor leagues last year because of how much of an offensive slide he was in. This year, he has 13 home runs and a 93 OPS+ through 81 games.

Edman, 28, is a lightning-quick, slap-hitting utilityman who can bounce around all over the diamond. He is a switch-hitter that gets on base a ton, steals bases and plays solid defense at essentially all infield and outfield positions. His value would be much higher than DeJong's for obvious reasons, but he is not set to become a free agent until the conclusion of the 2025 campaign and would provide much more to the Jays than DeJong would. In 84 games this year, Edman has seven home runs with 14 steals and an 89 OPS+. It's worth noting that he is currently on the 10-day injured list with a minor injury, so even if the Jays did land him, he wouldn't be able to slot into the lineup right on day one.

Donovan, 26, won a Gold Glove last year and finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. While he is not a switch-hitter like Edman, he can also bounce around all over the field and comes with a bit more pop in his bat. Appearing at six positions and hitting 11 home runs so far this season, Donovan is likely going to be the most expensive Cardinals infielder on this list primarily because he won't be a free agent until the end of the 2027 season.

The Blue Jays could promote from within

This option feels like the most unlikely one on the list, but it's one that needs to be brought up. With many middle infielders down in the minors, the Blue Jays could very easily promote somebody instead of making a big trade and losing assets.

Down in the minors, Ernie Clement, Leo Jimenez, Addison Barger, Orelvis Martinez and Otto Lopez are all on the 40-man roster and could all conceivably be promoted. Martinez is by far the youngest and was only just promoted to Triple-A, so him moving up to the big leagues already feels like a long-shot, so we'll focus on the others.

Each of Clement, Jimenez, Barger and Lopez are on hand in Triple-A alongside Martinez. Most of these names have been floated in recent trade rumors because, well, the Blue Jays have too many middle infielders on the farm. Jimenez and Lopez are both defensive-first players who don't have a direct path to the big leagues while Clement and Barger both have more thump in their bats.

With Barger and Lopez both being outfield-capable as well, the Blue Jays have been mixing and matching their minor leaguers on defense in an effort to get everyone playing time. Clement has also had multiple stints in the big leagues this season and he can play shortstop at a decent rate, so he would be the top option to get the call if the Jays elect to promote from within.

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