Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters (including Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet) that shortstop Bo Bichette is slated to undergo surgery to repair a displaced fracture in his right middle finger. Bichette was placed on the injured list due to the fracture last week in a move that had already brought his 2024 season to a close. Schneider indicated that Bichette “should be good to go” come spring training in February.
Bichette, 26, endured the worst season of his career this year as he battled injuries and ineffectiveness. The two-time All-Star was limited to just 81 games due to multiple IL stints caused by calf strains. Even when healthy enough to take the field he hit a lackluster .225/.277/.322 (70 wRC+) in 336 trips to the plate. That’s a less than ideal slash line for any regular big leaguer, but it’s especially troublesome for a young star who has never posted a wRC+ below 120 in his major league career prior to this year.
Prior to this year’s injury-marred blip, Bichette has been among the most consistent stars in the league with a career slash line of .299/.340/.487 (127 wRC+) entering the 2024 campaign. That strong pedigree was enough to generate some trade buzz regarding Bichette ahead of this year’s trade deadline as the Blue Jays fell out of the postseason picture, though the club seemed hesitant to deal either him or fellow star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. before Bichette’s injury woes ultimately snuffed out whatever possibility for a deal to come together there may have been.
Looking ahead to the offseason, the Blue Jays have generally indicated that they hope to return to contention in 2025 and if truly the club is committed to putting the best possible team on the field for next season, it’s hard to imagine that being possible while also dealing either Bichette or Guerrero this winter. Of course, that doesn’t mean a trade of either or even both stars is impossible with one year left before the pair heads to free agency, and it seems likely that this surgery will do little to dissuade interested parties from pursuing the shortstop given that he’s expected to be ready to go by the time spring training rolls around.
The Blue Jays also provided an update on the status of center fielder Daulton Varsho in the aftermath of his previously announced surgery to repair a rotator cuff injury in his shoulder. As noted by Scott Mitchell of SportsCenter, no further damage was discovered in Varsho’s successful rotator cuff surgery Wednesday, leading to a standard procedure. That said, Toronto was unwilling to commit to Varsho being ready for spring training when his surgery was first announced and Mitchell indicates even with the procedure completed his readiness for the start of camp is still up in the air.
According to Mitchell, Varsho’s current timeline has him “toeing the line” to be fully ready for this spring even in the event that he avoids any setbacks over the offseason. Still, even a delayed start to spring training wouldn’t necessarily stop the outfielder from being back in time to make the club’s Opening Day roster in 2025. The 28-year-old enjoyed a solid season in 2024, slashing a roughly league average .214/.293/.407 (99 wRC+) while also chipping in 10 stolen bases and playing superb defense in center field.
