Will Andrés Giménez remain at shortstop even when Bo Bichette returns?

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette hasn't appeared in a game since September 6. That was the day he collided with Yankees catcher Austin Wells on a play at the plate. While he remained in the game following a rain delay, he was placed on the IL on September 9. Just over a week later it was announced that Bichette would miss the remainder of the regular season.

Since September 12, Andrés Giménez has moved over to the other side of the second base bag and has held down Bichette's spot in his absence, playing in seven of the Jays eight games. Giménez has made 13 put outs, 25 assists and no errors, and has arguably been an upgrade defensively over Bichette, making some spectacular plays.

It shouldn't come as a surprise to many that Giménez is holding his own at the position, considering his defensive skills are some of the best in the league. He is fifth among MLB second baseman this season with a +9 defensive runs saved rating, even though he spent a large portion of this season nursing different injuries. But shortstop isn't entirely new territory for Giménez as during his first three years in the big leagues he played in 83 games at short in his time with the Mets and the Guardians. However, these are the first games Giménez has played at shortstop since 2022, when he was an All-Star with the Cleveland Guardians.

Ever since the Blue Jays made the trade for Giménez this past offseason there was speculation that he could eventually move over there when considering several factors. His defensive metrics all rate higher than the incumbent Bichette's. Since 2021 his has produced a defensive fWAR of 49.0, the 15th best mark in all of baseball, while Bichette has a 5.7 defensive fWAR - ranked 232 within that same time frame.

There has also been the season long contract decision looming over the Blue Jays and Bichette. He's set to hit free agency at the conclusion of the 2025 season and when Toronto made the trade with the Guardians they were getting Giménez who is locked up through 2029, on a deal that is worth over $100 million. With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signing a massive $500 million contract extension, the Blue Jays are committing a ton of cash already to half of their infield compliment.

While defensively it may make a lot of sense to just keep Giménez at shortstop, even when Bichette comes back, offensively things aren't as black and white. Giménez has had an awful season at the plate hitting .205 with a .581 OPS this season. His numbers drop even lower when looking at his output in September, slashing .143/.173/.163 with just seven hits in 49 at-bats in 15 games. Entering Saturdays contest Giménez has been on base once, via a walk, in his last four games.

Lastly, there's the impending return of Anthony Santander. Santander has been out with a shoulder injury since May 29 and while he is starting to make progress in his rehab process down in Buffalo - he's someone who the Blue Jays would rather slot in as a DH more so than have in the outfield. Between Santander, George Springer, and Bo Bichette, the Blue Jays may have to sacrifice some defense to get everyone's bats in the lineup.

Giménez has shown he can steal some runs from the opposition with his glove work at one of the most important positions on the field, but the Blue Jays will have to decide if they are willing to trade that the potential of almost no offence from him at the plate.