It certainly sounded like this decision was coming, now it's in black & white and official: Bo Bichette has been placed on the 10-day injured list by the Blue Jays with patellar tendinitis.
ROSTER MOVES:
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 2, 2023
🔹 INF Paul DeJong has reported to the team and will be active tonight
🔹 SS Bo Bichette (right knee patellar tendonitis) placed on 10-day IL, retroactive to August 1
🔹 RHP Thomas Hatch recalled from Triple-A and will be active tonight
🔹 RHP Nate Pearson… pic.twitter.com/qaVcIltZRX
Bichette, as every Blue Jays fan knows by now, tweaked his knee on Monday rounding first base and pulled up lame. The team is "encouraged" that they've avoided the worst in this injury, and that he won't be out for long. Nevertheless, a replacement is needed, and has arrived.
Newly-acquired Paul DeJong is in town, is active, and will indeed start at shortstop for Wednesday's game. In fact, the deadline day trade for DeJong was clear evidence for the fact that Bichette having an IL stint was inevitable.
Jays manager John Schneider spoke today on MLB Network Radio about DeJong and what he'll bring to the team in Bo's absence.
The Blue Jays made several key additions to their roster ahead of the trade deadline, including shortstop @RealPaulDeJong.
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) August 2, 2023
With Bo Bichette's recent injury, John Schneider believes that DeJong will provide important depth to the lineup and infield.@BlueJays | #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/tFeAolmzfZ
In addition to DeJong's track record defensively and with some thump in his bat, Schneider is excited about "the professionalism and consistency" that DeJong will bring to the lineup. The St. Louis Cardinals' veteran has had his troubles with the bat and getting on base the past few years, but when he does connect, the ball has a tendency to travel a long ways. He's had two 25+ home run seasons in his career, and was an All-Star in a 30-HR campaign in 2019.
This season, DeJong is hitting .233 with an on-base percentage of .297 and an OPS+ just under league average at 93, but he has left the yard 13 times in 279 at-bats. Of course, these numbers won't replace Bichette's .321 average, .352 on-base and OPS+ of 135 (not to mention his AL-leading 144 hits), but DeJong is a strong replacement in the field for certain, as witnessed by his 97th percentile ranking in Outs Above Average this season. He has been no worse than the 87th percentile in that category for each of the past three years.
As for Bichette, as we've already learned, the MRI showed "no significant structural damage" to his knee, and hopefully, his stay on the IL won't be too long.