Bo Bichette is scheduled to begin a Triple-A rehab assignment beginning on Tuesday, the Blue Jays told reporters (including Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi and Arden Zwelling). Bichette has been on the injured list since suffering a right calf strain on July 19, which was the third calf-related issue for Bichette within about a month’s time. It wasn’t clear at the time of the placement if Bichette would be able to return before the season was over or if the Jays might just shut him down, but it looks like the shortstop should be able to make it back for at least a bit more action before the 2024 campaign wraps.
While the Jays are well out of contention, returning to the field should provide some peace of mind for Bichette about his health as he wraps up the worst season of his six-year career. The two-time All-Star hit only .222/.275/.320 over 331 plate appearances, delivering a 69 wRC+ that was far below his previous career mark of 127. Bichette’s turn from star to replacement-level player was one of many reasons behind the Jays’ rough season, and it has raised fresh speculation about Bichette’s long-term future in Toronto, or even if he’ll still be a Blue Jay by next Opening Day. These questions obviously won’t be answered in the small sample size of however many MLB games Bichette is able to play in September, but returning to the Jays lineup and hitting like his old self would allow him to take something positive from an otherwise lost year.
Other updates from around the AL East…
- The Orioles announced that Heston Kjerstad will start a rehab assignment at the team’s A-ball affiliate in Aberdeen beginning tomorrow. Kjerstad has been on the concussion-related injury list since August 1, marking his second stint on the concussion-IL since he was hit in the head by a Clay Holmes pitch on July 12. The good news is that Kjerstad has cleared concussion protocol and now looks ready to return to action. Now in his second MLB season, the former top prospect has continued to show glimpses of his potential with a .261/.370/.420 slash line in 81 plate appearances with Baltimore this season, and a healthy Kjerstad could provide a nice boost for the O’s heading into the playoffs.
- Liam Hendriks was slated to throw back-to-back outings as part of his ongoing minor rehab assignment, though the Red Sox and the reliever have pulled back on the idea since Hendriks is feeling some slight discomfort. “There was a little bit of an issue [in the elbow], but nothing that can’t be worked out,” Hendriks told the Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams and other reporters. “I think I need to limit my own throwing….The muscle groups right there aren’t quite built up to withstand that just yet. I need to kind of ease them in a little bit better.” Hendriks and manager Alex Cora downplayed the setback, and the hope is that Hendriks will be able to make it back to the Red Sox roster before the season is over. Hendriks hasn’t pitched in the majors since June 2023, as a Tommy John surgery in August of that year has put his career on hold.
So they went from “Liam is targeting the White Sox series” to “Liam is hoping to be back before the season ends”.
This is Paxton all over again.
Hopefully they get at least half a season out of Liam next year.
They should have just waited until next March. Throwing him out there now, whether it’s AAA or Boston, is ridiculous.
They need to know if he can still close before they let Kenley go
Mafia – Kenley is going to want similar money to what he’s been getting, the Sox won’t give it to him. I think he’s definitely gone. They will trade one of their prospects for a cost controlled closer.
Oops. There’s the setback I was talking about him avoiding. Hopefully not a serious one.
Hendriks should just be shut down so he can have a normal off-season, there’s no need for the Red Sox to rush him just so he can be a 5th inning reliever
I think the idea, similar to Bichette, is to get an injured player back on the field before the end of the year so they can go into the off season feeling good that they made it back.
Gives them a little peace of mind.
Far from Boston rushing Hendricks, but he himself doing it and he was pushing starting rehab games before the team wanted him to. No, this hasn’t been the plan of the team, but one of the players (rarely seen now) around the league who puts love of the game ahead of most every thing else.
Kjerstad had a .946 OPS before Holmes beaned him. Came back and wasn’t himself yet. Hopefully he can get back on track quickly.
I am really looking forward to seeing what Kjerstad can do in a full season next year after Santander’s departure opens up an everyday spot in the lineup for him. He’ll probably never be much in the field, but I believe in the bat.
Santander leaving is not what I want to hear but the GM in me know is coming.
I love the guy too, but Santander is the exact kind of player that we should not be signing to an expensive long-term deal.
Santander. He gone.
If the orioles were a normal team they would try to resign Santander but they need to get another outfield spot for Heston
If kjerstad kept his rookie status to 2025 he would be my pick for ROY
He definitely looks ready to step into an everyday role to me, and it would not surprise me in the slightest if he outproduces Santander next year. As much as I love Tony Taters, he’s kind of the definition of a one-dimensional player.
Woah I wouldn’t say 30-40 homers immediately… more like exactly how cowser has played this season
I expect him to hit for a better average and get on base more than Santander, who really doesn’t do anything except slug, so I could see Kjerstad being more productive overall next year.
Not saying that will definitely happen, but my jaw wouldn’t hit the floor if it did.
Bichette will soon whine his way out of Toronto & the Jays tentative front office will mess-up the deal – it’s coming.
Do you think Bo is more suited for 2B or 3B? He’s clearly not a SS.
Badfinger – I think second. I don’t think Bichette has the footwork for third. Potentially, he’s more valuable at second. Jays progress has stalled and that’s on the front office. Have a good one, Bad.
Bo’s interview that just came out this morning contradicts 30 Parks’ ridiculous comment. There was no whining on Bo’s part, and he hasn’t been a whiner in his career.
It’s scary Shapiro and carry-on are making the decisions…still
That’s why 30 Parks’ comment is ignorant. How many more players need to leave on bad terms under this regime? Shouldn’t the front office be held accountable for this since there is a clear pattern? We do not know Bo’s situation, and who in the media will take Bo’s side when they are paid by the owners that own the team?
I’m sure both sides have reasons to be unhappy.
There had been some local rumors that the Orioles were going to shut Kjerstad down for the year so this is very exciting news. He could be a huge asset off the bench in the playoffs.
.Unlikely he has an impact this year.
Don’t assume Santander is gone. Kjerstad hasn’t proven anything
I’m pretty sure that Mike Elias is wise enough to not sign a one-dimensional slugger like Santander for $20 million a year into his mid-30s, especially when he’ll be able to add another high draft pick to our 2025 draft class by not doing so.
And Kjerstad was a second overall draft pick who has demolished AAA and put up a 123 OPS+ in his MLB time so far. He has absolutely proven that it is time to give him everyday ABs.
For teams that may have coveted Bichette in the past, now(next off-season)is the best time to acquire him, now that his stock price has come substantially down.
Would they still covet him now though?
“Would they still covet him”…I do and would. In my opinion, for people not adverse to taking risks it’s a great time to nab him. His price is going to be down and I’ve seen enough of his hitting prowess in the past, to believe ’24 is an outlier, possibly caused by injury.
I believe there’s bound to be at least a couple GMs that think this way and the biggest issue(for me)is whether Toronto is willing to sell low on him.
MLB fan, I doubt it. I think they’d be open to trade, but not as a sell low. I think a team would have to be high on him returning to form. Otherwise the Jays could just use him next year and trade him at the deadline if things don’t go well for the team.
Out of curiosity, what team would you want to put him on? I’m a Toronto fan who has been very open to a trade but I don’t see the value proposition at this point. I wonder what your idea of a buy low would be?
“But not as a sell low….what team would you want”…The reality is he’s coming off a down year and to even engage in trade talks Toronto would have to acknowledge his value is down somewhat.
Without the value discount I’d move onto someone else, because I sure wouldn’t expect a team to pay the (full) price of a healthy, vintage Bichette.
There’s more risk in acquiring a player coming off a down year, so naturally most teams will ask for and expect a cost(prospects) discount. Which team?…Mariners.
Obviously the value is down from where it would have been. But I expect the Jays to still value him as an above average regular who hits somewhere in the top 4 spots in the lineup. And for better or worse, they intend to compete next year.
Seattle is an interesting spot to start hypothetical trade discussions because it wouldn’t be unlike the Teo trade. The last year of control of an impact player with a moderate to high salary attached from a team that still has competitive ambition. I think a good major league reliever (Santos maybe?) and a prospect. Probably a tier up from Macko because even though objectively Teo is arguably the superior player at the time of the trade, Bichette is more of a household name and that is going to matter to the Jays who have made major ballpark investments and are already seeing a major fan confidence slide (with the Teo trade being the turning point that sent the team into a bad position). Seattle has a good handful of guys now who look to have those MLB regular projections. I could see the Jays liking the on base guys like Young and Ford. They love their high floor guys like that (personally, I’d aim for the more tools, higher risk, upside guys like Celesten or Farmelo but that’s not their M.O. on the position player side). That seems like a high price if you aren’t desperate for a SS and presumably you’d be planning to move Bichette to 2B? An alternative instead of the position player guys would be a starter that has regular rotation upside at the AAA level ready to be an up and down guy in ‘25 (like what the Jays got with Bloss in the Kikuchi trade). Hancock kind of fits that bill, but my guess is the Jays won’t like him specifically and I don’t see another good option. Miller I suppose, but that seems way too much for Bo unless we start getting into complex multiplayer deals and the Jays aren’t overflowing with valuable trade pieces.
A Bichette trade would have been simple last offseason even if he was coming off a tough 4 month stretch because he had still shown his heights early in the season. But now, if you take his name away and see a guy who for the better part of two seasons has had poor results and poor underlying batted ball metrics and is probably playing out of position on the diamond, it makes it hard to imagine another team valuing him enough for the Jays to not just run him back out there to either help them win next year or at least recoup some trade value by the the deadline.
Hypothetical here.
Bo to St Louis to play 2B for Walker, Gorman and Matz. Jays take on Matz’ salary to compete for the 5th spot (former Jay), Jays move Gorman back to 3B (potentially scary), Walker to LF.
Jays might need to add a minor leaguer.
It’s_happening, that’s an interesting framework. A buy low impact player for buy low post hype pre arb guys and struggling vet. Some trades have a lot of potential to be win win. This one feels like there’s risk and volatility all over the place and has a lot of potential to turn out very lopsided. If we’re talking Cardinals, I’d also like to nominate Ivan Herrera as a potential trade candidate in that mix.
I’d be fine with that KamKid. It’s extremely volatile. No doubt. I do believe Bo is on a mission to play out of his mind in his walk year. I also think 2B is where his skillset and knee/calf issues should have him.
A trade like that would also open the Jays to another trade with the pieces they’ve received this year.
My gut instinct from the Blue Jay perspective is to love it. Walker is still so young, it feels really early for St. Louis to move on in sell low fashion like this. Especially with Goldy being at the end of his contract. But the clock is ticking on him to figure it out with only one more option remaining and he wasn’t even good in AAA this year.
I hear you. With Goldy on the market plus offloading Matz’s contact they have money for another bat or two (1B, OF or SP). Donovan plays the OF with Bo at 2B. Possibly work out an extension for him. That leaves Siani, Burleson and Nootbar battling for the other spots.
I dunno….
Regarding Hendriks, I wonder if going through cancer treatment a few years ago is still affecting him in other ways such as his overall strength and how quickly he heals. I have had family members who went through chemo/radiation/immunotherapy for cancer and while they’re in remission and mostly healthy now, they’re not the same as they were before.
Trey Mancini went through colon cancer treatment in 2020, and when he came back from that his stats were much worse than his stats before his diagnosis.
Jarred – Absolutely, and it’s much harder to recover at his age (35). This was a gamble Breslow should not have taken.