With the 10 a.m. ET Sunday deadline to finalize their ALCS roster fast approaching, we're learning a little bit more about how the Toronto Blue Jays might line up against the Seattle Mariners.
Injured shortstop Bo Bichette, who was left off the ALDS roster as he recovers from a knee sprain suffered Sept. 6 against the New York Yankees, hit live pitching on Friday and ran the bases for the first time on Saturday, manager John Schneider told reporters.
They'll use how he feels after running the bases to determine his availability for the ALCS.
"I'm trying to weigh out, is (Bichette's availability) every day, is it off the bench? Obviously, you want his bat in the lineup," Schneider said Saturday, prior to Bichette's baserunning. "I think just getting to the spot with him and getting his feedback, him being part of it, how much, if at all, he's going to be compromised, and if not, OK.
"And then, how that kind of affects everyone else we're going to try to use and deploy. To say everyday availability would be best-case scenario, yeah, that's pretty easy. But it's a weird time-crunch with the series starting tomorrow and him having to check some boxes here today, too."
On Wednesday, shortly after the Blue Jays clinched their ALCS berth with a Game 4 win over the Yankees, Bichette said he felt hopeful he could return sooner rather than later.
"I've made a lot of progress recently, so I'm optimistic about my chances," Bichette said at the time. "I still have some hurdles to clear, but I'm optimistic ... I've gotta run a little bit faster, but I'm feeling better every day."
Schneider also provided updates on starting pitchers Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer.
The two right-handers were left off the Blue Jays' ALDS roster, with Bassitt spending the final days of the regular season on the injured list.
When asked what kind of role Bassitt could play against the Mariners, Schneider pointed to his versatility as an advantage.
"At the very least, he could probably give you three, four innings. He feels a lot better than he did at the end of the regular season, even last week. So I think he's recovered physically well," Schneider added.
As for Scherzer, he's used this time to stay fresh, trying to work back from an end to the regular season that saw him rack up a 7.55 ERA over his final seven starts.
"(He's) definitely keeping himself ready in any, really, capacity I think," Schneider continued. "What he's working on is trying to get back to being him in terms of delivery and finishing his pitches and being able to put the ball where he wants to, which I think was compromised at times over this season."
Both Scherzer and Bassitt will be strong contenders for the ALCS roster.
The Blue Jays host the Mariners for Game 1 of the Championship Series on Sunday. Watch all the action on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ starting at 8:03 p.m. ET / 5:03 p.m. PT.
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