Two of the longer-tenured Blue Jays on the current roster are getting closer and closer to returning from their respective injuries. Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling reported before Saturday’s game that closer Jordan Romano and shortstop Bo Bichette are advancing in their rehab assignments, and both appear to be on track to return this season, barring any setbacks.

Romano was sent to the injured list on May 31st with elbow inflammation, and after a setback in his throwing progression, he visited notable sports medicine specialist Dr. Keith Meister to gather a second opinion. He wound up getting surgery one day after the visit on July 3rd. Zwelling reported today that Romano is expected to begin a throwing progression next week, with the team intending to have him on the major league mound before the end of the season.

Romano’s 2024 has been sandwiched between a pair of elbow injuries with the first one being inflammation that started in late March. He missed the first 17 games of the season and was activated from the Injured List on April 16th when the New York Yankees were in town. From his first outing of the season on, Blue Jays fans were getting a drastically different version of Romano than what they were accustomed to. In 15 games, he posted a 6.59 ERA, 1.463 WHIP, 6.17 FIP, and an 8.6 K/9. The strikeout rate was trending to be the lowest of his career, and his home run rate was trending to be the highest of his career. Despite being 8-for-9 in save opportunities, he allowed two walk-off hits; Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman launched a two-run homer on May 15th to split a two-game set with the Blue Jays, and Detroit’s Matt Vierling hit a three-run home run on May 26th to defeat Toronto in an action-packed 14-11 ballgame.

On the offensive side of the field, Bo Bichette is continuing to build back up in Dunedin, FL, while rehabbing a calf injury that he’s dealt with multiple times this season. Bichette began a running progression earlier in the week and will join the Boston team for their series with the Red Sox next week. Per Zwelling, if all goes well and he passes base running tests, he may be cleared to start a rehab assignment as soon as next weekend.

Bichette has played in only 79 games this season, slashing .223/.276/.321 with a .597 OPS, four home runs, 30 RBIs, and 16 doubles. For a player with an elite hit tool who has led the league in hits twice before, this season has been quite the outlier for Bichette. He was on the Injured List for a calf injury between June 15th and June 25th, but he only needed to miss the minimum number of days. The calf noticeably became an issue during a July 19th affair with the Tigers when he limped out of the box after a line out to right field, and he was sent back to the IL just one day later.

A secondary headline throughout Bichette’s stint on the IL has been whether or not he will be traded in the offseason. The type of season he has had has maybe hindered his value on the trade market, even though his track record would suggest otherwise. Being able to finish the season on the field with a couple of positive signs showing he is healthy and improving may boost that trade value back up a little bit, but even if the Blue Jays want to keep him around for 2025, getting him back on the field and trying to get him back on track will only help their quest to competing next year.