Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. climbed through the minors together, dreaming of a title for a franchise that hasn’t won a World Series in 32 years. Bichette, an impending free agent, never wanted his season to end this way. When Bichette collided with  Yankees catcher Austin Wells on September 6th and crumpled in pain, it felt like the last game of his breakthrough season. But he shockingly returned to finish the game after a long rain delay.

However, lingering soreness later led to an MRI, revealing a sprained PCL in his left knee, and the Blue Jays placed their shortstop on the injured list on September 9. And according to the update from MLB Network’s Jon Paul Morosi, a playoff comeback remained a real possibility. And though the news ruled him out for the rest of the regular season, it kept the most important part of the season in play.

Then on Friday, Schneider provided the most promising update yet. MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson shared the news in X. The post read: “Bo Bichette is ‘feeling better every day, ’ John Schneider says, and started light hitting today. Still plenty of things to check off as he builds up to running the bases and playing defence, but it’s a start.”

This is the first concrete step, and the news is huge considering as many people feared that game against the Yankees could be his last in a Blue Jays uniform, though Schneider and the front office always said they would accept any playable version of Bichette they could get.

He was one of baseball’s hottest hitters when he went down, slashing .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs. And despite missing two weeks, he still leads the AL in hits (181) and doubles (44).

Schneider has been very clear about getting his bat back in the lineup. “In a perfect world, if he can come back and play short, great,” Schneider said. “We’ll see how this goes. With how he’s moving, it seems to me that hitting will be a little bit in front of everything else… but if we can get his bat back, hell yeah, I’ll take that.” So, how did the Blue Jays play in the absence of Bichette?

How the Blue Jays have adapted in Bo Bichette’s absence?

In Bichette’s absence, the Jays have shuffled their defense, moving Andrés Giménez from second base to shortstop and placing Ernie Clement at Giménez’s place. Addison Barger has taken over third base in regular games. And this infield shuffle has directly impacted the outfield. With Barger locked in at third base, Nathan Lukes has become the everyday right fielder.

But there’s a problem. Before we dig deeper, understand this: Bichette’s bat matters more than his glove right now. Giménez is stellar at defense with 12 OAA, but with a below 600 OPS and .206 average, he’s simply not an option at Bichette’s place. And the everyday right fielder Lukes batting .229 with a below .250 on-base percentage in September. This creates a significant offensive hole in the lineup.

This leaves Schneider with some tough choices if Bichette can only return as a designated hitter. The team could press George Springer into more regular duty in right field. Springer has had a great year at the plate but has only started 48 games in the outfield.

Another option is the potential return of Anthony Santander, even if his first season in Toronto has been a disappointment. Santander began a Triple-A rehab as DH, and he offers last year’s 44-homer power potential. So Schneider would surely count on him and use him as a power bat off the bench. But none can truly replace what Bichette brings.

For now, Toronto is in a great position as their magic number to clinch a playoff berth is down to three and has a comfortable three-game cushion over the Yankees in the AL East. And they are also ahead of the Tigers for the AL’s top seed. Locking down the division would secure a first-round bye, giving Bichette an entire extra week to heal before the Division Series begins on October 4.