The Toronto Blue Jays face the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees with significant absences in their roster. Among them, the absence of shortstop Bo Bichette stands out, a key player on the team that achieved 94 victories and the American League East Division title. Bichette, who injured his knee and did not recover in time, will not be available for the first game of the series. In addition to Bichette, the Blue Jays will also be without right-handed starters Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer in their group of 13 pitchers. Bichette, after recovering from a 2024 season marked by injuries, had regained his best form in 2025, with a batting average of .311, 18 home runs, and an OPS of .840, before injuring his knee on September 6th. Blue Jays manager John Schneider explained that Bichette still needed to pass running and batting tests to be activated, ruling out his inclusion in a limited role.
Bassitt, who finished the regular season on the injured list for back inflammation, was eligible to return. Scherzer, for his part, was excluded by strategic decision, after recording an ERA of 5.19 in 85 innings this season. The Blue Jays will have right-handed starters Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber and rookie Trey Yesavage, in addition to the left-hander Eric Lauer. Gausman will start Game 1, followed by Bieber in Game 2 and Yesavage in Game 3. Lauer could be the starter or come in as a reliever in Game 4, if necessary. Regarding the Yankees, they made a single change to their roster for the divisional series: they included Luis Gil, who will start Game 1, and excluded reliever Mark Leiter Jr. Max Fried will start Game 2 for the Yankees, and Carlos Rodon is slated for Game 3.In order to be on the team, he would have to play regularly. We don’t want to deviate from what we’ve been doing. It’s not about saving him for a specific at-bat.
John Schneider
