The Blue Jays have yet to announce their roster for the World Series, and the biggest question that remains is whether Bo Bichette will be officially added to the 26-man list.

The 2x All-Star last appeared in a game back on September 6th, and unfortunately, he’s had to watch from the sidelines as the Jays navigated a difficult stretch run that included a furious charge from the Yankees for the AL East crown.

Not only were they able to hang on and win the division thanks to a tie-breaker between the pair of 94-68 teams, but the Blue Jays also eliminated the Bronx Bombers in the ALDS before their Game 7 triumph against the Seattle Mariners in the ALCS. This team has been doing incredible things over the last month and a half, and they’ve found a way to do it without one of their best players.

According to Bichette himself, he’ll be ready to join his teammates for his first taste of the biggest stage in baseball, and also the first World Series appearance for the Jays since back in 1993, when Joe Carter walked off the Phillies with arguably the only home run bigger than the one George Springer hit on Monday. It remains to be seen how John Schneider and the coaching staff will use him after more than six weeks on the sidelines, and with no opportunity to get his timing back in minor league league rehab games, but one of their best hitters could be available to join the likes of Springer, ALCS MVP Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and the rest of the crew starting on Friday.

While that’s exciting for 99.9% of us to hear, it also means that someone from the ALCS roster is going to have to be removed to make room for Bichette.

There are a variety of routes they could go, and I’ve come across many different ideas and debates on social media over the last few days. I’ve seen people argue that they might leave a reliever on the sidelines to open up that roster spot, but I personally feel like that’s an unlikely choice for a coaching staff that likes to be creative with their pitchers. I’ve also come across arguments that maybe it’s Isaiah Kiner-Falefa that loses his spot, but I think the Jays will keep him around for depth in the infield if nothing else, and might even start him in Game 1 against a left-hander in Blake Snell.

To me, the most likely candidate would be Joey Loperfido, who was just added during the ALCS when Anthony Santander went down with a back injury.

The 26-year-old was a productive player whenever he was on the big league roster, slashing .333/.379/.500 over his 96 at-bats and playing solid defence. However, he often found himself as the odd man out due to the outfield depth on the rest of the roster, and thanks to still having minor league options. Considering the Blue Jays have a list of outfielders that includes Daulton Varsho, Nathan Lukes, Addison Barger, Davis Schneider, Myles Straw, and likely George Springer, it’s hard to see there being much opportunity for Loperfido. That could especially be the case if Springer spends most of his time in the outfield so that Bichette can serve as the designated hitter.

Assuming the Blue Jays do use Bichette as the DH, that domino effect could lead to an outfield featuring Varsho, Springer, and Lukes, at least against right-handers. That means Barger goes back to third base, and Clement likely plays second, which moves Kiner-Falefa back to a bench role. It’s a lot of moving parts to make it work, but this Blue Jays team was built to be versatile, and most of the roster is used to moving around the diamond as needed. Again, this is just one potential lineup configuration I’m throwing out there, and that’s a whole other topic for discussion for later.

For now, I’m thinking about how the Blue Jays are going to tweak the roster to make room for Bichette, and my best guess is it’ll be Loperfido who is left out once again.

If that’s the case, it’s a shame for the Pennsylvania native, and I’m sure he’ll go through a bit of FOMO as he makes that sacrifice. That said, baseball is a business, and Loperfido understands that as well as anyone. You can guarantee that he’ll be enthusiastically cheering on his teammates from the bench, and staying physically and mentally ready, just as he was when he joined the active roster midway through the ALCS after Santander’s injury.

It’s possible the Blue Jays ultimately go in another direction, but to me, the most logical would be to remove Loperfido in favour of Bichette. It won’t be long now before we’ll find out.