Toronto Blue Jays All-Star shortstop Bo Bichette was forced to leave his team's Monday night game against the Orioles with a non-contact injury to his right leg (TOR 4, BAL 2). The club later announced the injury as "right knee discomfort." On Tuesday, Jays manager John Schneider told reporters that an MRI on Bichette's knee revealed inflammation but not major structural damage and that he's day-to-day for now.
Bichette suffered the injury as he rounded first base following a single to right field in the third inning. As he pulled up to halt his progress toward second base, Bichette's leg appeared to give. After being tagged out on the play, he limped off the field accompanied by a trainer. In the top of the fourth, he was replaced at shortstop by Santiago Espinal. Here's a look at the play:
This season, the 25-year-old is slashing .321/.352/.494 with an AL-leading 144 hits, 17 of which are home runs. Needless to say, he's a critical member of a Blue Jays team that's in the thick of the AL playoff race. Losing him for any length of time would be a serious blow to their hopes.
On Tuesday, the Jays acquired veteran shortstop Paul DeJong from the Cardinals, likely in response to Bichette's injury.
Following Monday's loss to first-place Baltimore, the 59-48 Jays were a half-game behind the Astros for the second wild-card spot in the AL.
