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The Blue Jays have activated Matt Chapman off the Injured List
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Photo credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Ryley Delaney
Sep 14, 2023, 16:21 EDT
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The Blue Jays have got some power back in their lineup.
On Thursday afternoon, it was announced that Matt Chapman was activated off the 10-day injured list, while outfielder Nathan Lukes was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo.
It may not seem like it sometimes, but Chapman has been one of the Blue Jays better players in 2023. He’s slashing .248/.338/.431 with 15 homers in 520 plate appearances, along with an 11.2 BB% and a 28.5 K%.
Defensively, he was missed. He’s posted a 10 Defensive Runs Saved and a 3 Outs Above Average in his 1079 innings fielded at third base. Altogether, Chapman has a 3.2 fWAR, which ranks as the second highest on the team, and the highest for a position player on the team, slightly ahead of Bo Bichette’s 3 fWAR.
Lukes hasn’t had much of an opportunity with the big league team, as he’s slashing .192/.290/.308 with no homers in 31 plate appearances, despite being on the major league roster for quite some time.
With the Buffalo Bisons, the 29-year-old outfielder is slashing .366/.429/.541 with five homers in 203 plate appearances for a 146 wRC+. It’ll be interesting to see if he is recalled at any point this season.
Hopefully, Chapman’s presence in the lineup can help ignite the offence which has been completely stagnant in the Rangers series. He is batting sixth in the line up, behind Cavan Biggio and ahead of Whit Merrifield.
Chapman will become a free agent after the 2023 season. It’s likely that the Blue Jays will offer the 30-year-old third baseman will receive a qualifying offer. However, I’m not quite sure whether what he’ll do with it. If he accepts, the Blue Jays will pay him around $20,000,000 next season, but if he declines it and signs elsewhere, the Blue Jays will get a fourth-round pick.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Threads @Brennan_L_D.

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