Blue Jays activate Bo Bichette ahead of series against the Royals

Prior to their weekend series against the Kansas City Royals, the Toronto Blue Jays have formally announced Bo Bichette's activation from the injured list. The club's star shortstop spent the minimum of 10 days on the IL while he recovered from a strained right quad and is now back in action.

In a corresponding move, defensive-minded middle infielder Mason McCoy has been optioned back down to Triple-A where he will rejoin the Buffalo Bisons.

Bichette, 25, remains the face of this Blue Jays franchise and his re-addition to the everyday lineup is going to be massive for a team looking to sneak into the 2023 postseason. In 114 games this year, Bichette has 18 home runs with 62 driven in, a .314 batting average and .831 OPS. Along the way, he made his second All-Star Game and has vastly improved on defense as well. While things haven't always been pretty for him at shortstop, the strides he's made this season have gone a long way to improving his defensive reputation.

The 28-year-old McCoy will head back down to Triple-A after making his big league debut on August 30 as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement. While many fans groaned when he was recalled to replace an injured Bichette over a shiny prospect like Addison Barger, McCoy filled his role well, making defensive appearances, pinch running appearances and scoring two runs along the way.

After coming over in a minor trade with the Mariners earlier this summer that saw the Blue Jays ship Trent Thornton to Seattle, McCoy hasn't exactly lit the world on fire with his bat, but many in the organization feel that he's the best defensive shortstop in the entire system. He can play second base, third base, shortstop and even left field, giving the Jays yet another utility-type player that they are known to love so much.

Getting Bichette back for this stretch run is huge for the Blue Jays. Through and through, he has been the team's best hitter this year and he is surely going to inject some life into this lineup as they march towards another playoff berth.