<p>It has now been over a month since Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette suffered a knee sprain that sent him to the injured list.</p>
<p></p>
<p>The pending free agent shortstop was kept off the ALDS roster, but is <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/blue-jays-bo-bichette-optimistic-returning-alcs">reportedly optimistic</a> about a return for the ALCS, set to begin at Rogers Centre on Sunday night. The Blue Jays will have to make some crucial decisions regarding who he replaces on the roster and how the lineup will look going forward.</p>
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<h3>Who is the odd man out if Bichette is added to the ALCS roster?</h3>
<p>The Blue Jays carried 13 hitters on their ALDS roster, including two catchers, five infielders, and six outfielders. If they decide to swap in Bichette for a fellow infielder, the odd man out will almost certainly be Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The ultra-versatile veteran went 0-6 against the Yankees with a critical error in game three that partially led to him being replaced in the game. IKF&#8217;s ability to fill in defensively at several spots may be enough to keep him on the roster, forcing the Jays to remove an outfielder instead.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLBPostseason?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MLBPostseason</a> Hitting At Bat of the Week &#8211; Anthony Santander 8 Pitch, 2 RBI Single </p>
<p>What was his approach? How did the pitcher attack him? Comment below ⬇️ </p>
<p>A lot of players and young kids only see the highlights and don’t see what happens in a whole at bat! Every week we’ll… <a href="https://t.co/yTQylnZ6Ma">pic.twitter.com/yTQylnZ6Ma</a></p>
<p>&mdash; 108 Performance (@108_Performance) <a href="https://twitter.com/108_Performance/status/1975954279945883656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Nathan Lukes and Davis Schneider performed admirably out of the two-spot in the lineup while platooning in left field against the Yankees, leaving no doubt that they will remain as integral parts moving forward. The only other two offensive players that could see themselves replaced on the ALCS appear to be Myles Straw or <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/encouraging-signs-anthony-santander-blue-jays-begin-weighing-alcs-roster-decisions">Anthony Santander.</a> Straw seems like a sure bet to stay on the roster due to being the team&#8217;s top pinch-running option and for his ability to be a defensive upgrade late in games. He also took advantage of his trips to the plate in the ALDS, collecting two hits and a walk in six total plate appearances.</p>
<p>Santander could easily find himself on the outside looking in after amassing two singles in ten at-bats against New York. It is worth noting that he grinded out those at-bats, seeing almost seven pitches per plate appearances despite not having a whole lot to show for them.</p>
<p>The prized free agent acquisition has had a first season to forget in Toronto, battling injuries and ineffectiveness en route to a .565 OPS in just 54 regular-season games. In theory, he still provides the Blue Jays with a power bat off the bench, something the team may prioritize over IKF&#8217;s defensive versatility.</p>
<h3>How does the lineup change with Bichette?</h3>
<p>George Springer led off in each game of the ALDS, followed by the platoon of Lukes/Schneider in the two spot, Guerrero Jr. hitting third, and Alejandro Kirk hitting cleanup in all but one game.</p>
<p>Bichette spent the majority of his games hitting leadoff for the Jays in 2025 (82 out of 137), with cleanup being the only other spot where he drew significant starts (40) once Springer moved back up to his leadoff spot. One thing that the team may take into account is that Bichette was a far more productive hitter in the clean-up spot, producing a 1.008 OPS compared to a .726 mark while leading off.</p>
<p>Since the offense was clicking for the <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/looking-which-players-toronto-blue-jays-could-drop-alcs-roster">Blue Jays</a> in the ALDS, keeping the plan the same for the 1-2-3 hitters in the lineup may be more desirable, especially considering the uncertainty of Bichette coming off a month-long absence. Slotting the Jays&#8217; shortstop in the clean-up spot will allow him to focus on doing damage as opposed to table setting, where he wasn&#8217;t as effective this year. This would push Kirk, Varsho and others down a spot, lengthening the lineup in the process.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;If he didn&#39;t feel there was a legitimate possibility, he wouldn&#39;t have sounded that optimistic&#8230; I would assume it&#39;s DH only.&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/ShiDavidi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ShiDavidi</a> shares the latest on Bo Bichette ahead of the ALCS with <a href="https://twitter.com/SNJeffBlair?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SNJeffBlair</a> &amp; Kevin Barker. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WANTITALL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WANTITALL</a></p>
<p>LIVE ⤵️<br />📺 <a href="https://t.co/SqK7M993Jz">https://t.co/SqK7M993Jz</a> <a href="https://t.co/zgxg9iEeGT">pic.twitter.com/zgxg9iEeGT</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) <a href="https://twitter.com/FAN590/status/1976751680210297068?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h3>Does Bichette play the field?</h3>
<p>It&#8217;s no secret that Bichette had his struggles defensively this year.</p>
<p>He ranked as the worst defensive shortstop in baseball among 22 qualified candidates, per <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?lg=all&amp;qual=y&amp;season=2025&amp;season1=2025&amp;ind=0&amp;stats=fld&amp;pos=ss&amp;type=1">Fangraphs</a>. A knee injury may make it that much more unlikely that he returns to play the infield this year, especially considering how important a position shortstop is. Couple that with the fact that Andres Gimenez looked the part in his four games at the position against the Yankees, and there&#8217;s a strong chance that Bichette is a DH-only for the ALCS, pushing Springer to play the outfield.</p>
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It has now been over a month since Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette suffered a knee sprain that sent him to the injured list.



The pending free agent shortstop was kept off the ALDS roster, but is <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/blue-jays-bo-bichette-optimistic-returning-alcs">reportedly optimistic</a> about a return for the ALCS, set to begin at Rogers Centre on Sunday night. The Blue Jays will have to make some crucial decisions regarding who he replaces on the roster and how the lineup will look going forward.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="330" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="“web-content-promocard&quot;"></div>
<h3>Who is the odd man out if Bichette is added to the ALCS roster?</h3>
The Blue Jays carried 13 hitters on their ALDS roster, including two catchers, five infielders, and six outfielders. If they decide to swap in Bichette for a fellow infielder, the odd man out will almost certainly be Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The ultra-versatile veteran went 0-6 against the Yankees with a critical error in game three that partially led to him being replaced in the game. IKF's ability to fill in defensively at several spots may be enough to keep him on the roster, forcing the Jays to remove an outfielder instead.

https://twitter.com/108_Performance/status/1975954279945883656

Nathan Lukes and Davis Schneider performed admirably out of the two-spot in the lineup while platooning in left field against the Yankees, leaving no doubt that they will remain as integral parts moving forward. The only other two offensive players that could see themselves replaced on the ALCS appear to be Myles Straw or <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/encouraging-signs-anthony-santander-blue-jays-begin-weighing-alcs-roster-decisions">Anthony Santander.</a> Straw seems like a sure bet to stay on the roster due to being the team's top pinch-running option and for his ability to be a defensive upgrade late in games. He also took advantage of his trips to the plate in the ALDS, collecting two hits and a walk in six total plate appearances.

Santander could easily find himself on the outside looking in after amassing two singles in ten at-bats against New York. It is worth noting that he grinded out those at-bats, seeing almost seven pitches per plate appearances despite not having a whole lot to show for them.

The prized free agent acquisition has had a first season to forget in Toronto, battling injuries and ineffectiveness en route to a .565 OPS in just 54 regular-season games. In theory, he still provides the Blue Jays with a power bat off the bench, something the team may prioritize over IKF's defensive versatility.
<h3>How does the lineup change with Bichette?</h3>
George Springer led off in each game of the ALDS, followed by the platoon of Lukes/Schneider in the two spot, Guerrero Jr. hitting third, and Alejandro Kirk hitting cleanup in all but one game.

Bichette spent the majority of his games hitting leadoff for the Jays in 2025 (82 out of 137), with cleanup being the only other spot where he drew significant starts (40) once Springer moved back up to his leadoff spot. One thing that the team may take into account is that Bichette was a far more productive hitter in the clean-up spot, producing a 1.008 OPS compared to a .726 mark while leading off.

Since the offense was clicking for the <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/looking-which-players-toronto-blue-jays-could-drop-alcs-roster">Blue Jays</a> in the ALDS, keeping the plan the same for the 1-2-3 hitters in the lineup may be more desirable, especially considering the uncertainty of Bichette coming off a month-long absence. Slotting the Jays' shortstop in the clean-up spot will allow him to focus on doing damage as opposed to table setting, where he wasn't as effective this year. This would push Kirk, Varsho and others down a spot, lengthening the lineup in the process.

https://twitter.com/FAN590/status/1976751680210297068
<h3>Does Bichette play the field?</h3>
It's no secret that Bichette had his struggles defensively this year.

He ranked as the worst defensive shortstop in baseball among 22 qualified candidates, per <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?lg=all&amp;qual=y&amp;season=2025&amp;season1=2025&amp;ind=0&amp;stats=fld&amp;pos=ss&amp;type=1">Fangraphs</a>. A knee injury may make it that much more unlikely that he returns to play the infield this year, especially considering how important a position shortstop is. Couple that with the fact that Andres Gimenez looked the part in his four games at the position against the Yankees, and there's a strong chance that Bichette is a DH-only for the ALCS, pushing Springer to play the outfield.

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