ARLINGTON, Texas — Midway through the sixth inning Thursday, the gate to the visitors’ bullpen opened at Globe Life Field and out ran Dillon Tate.
Normally, this wouldn’t be noteworthy in a mid-September game between two non-contenders. Yet Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman had thrown just 58 pitches and had yet to allow a hit. Under those circumstances, the early exit was surprising – even a little concerning.
Not long afterwards, the Blue Jays announced that lower back tightness had forced Gausman from a game the Blue Jays would eventually win 4-0 thanks to a pair of homers from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The no-hit bid ended with a seventh-inning single by Texas shortstop Josh Smith, but the Blue Jays still combined for a two-hit shutout, avoiding a sweep and improving to 73-80 on the season.
Still, the Gausman news is worrying for a team that lost Bo Bichette, Daulton Varsho and Will Wagner to season-ending injuries earlier in the week. As of now, it’s unclear how Gausman’s back will respond to rest and treatment but if there’s any doubt here the Blue Jays can play it safe and shut him down for the season.
As of now, Gausman has a 3.91 ERA in 175 innings spanning 30 starts – a strong showing for any starting pitcher, especially one who barely pitched in spring training. While the Blue Jays have disappointed as a collective, Gausman’s five-year, $110 million deal continues to look like an excellent investment after three years.
On Thursday morning, however, the Blue Jays placed Bichette on the injured list with a middle finger fracture he sustained fielding ground balls Wednesday evening. The 2024 season’s now over for the shortstop, who will soon meet with a specialist to determine the best course of action for healing.
“All options are on the table,” manager John Schneider said. “With whatever route is chosen, he’ll be good to go for spring and have a normal off-season.”
After rehabbing a calf injury for two months, Bichette came back for one game Tuesday, collected two hits, and promptly got hurt the next day. His season ends with a .225 average and a .598 OPS in 81 games – far below his established norms.
“It’s tough,” said Schneider. “He was frustrated. I do think he’s in a pretty good place in terms of perspective. He was obviously frustrated, but knowing that something positive will come out of this.”
Without Bichette, the Blue Jays’ lineup looks far less potent, but thanks to Guerrero Jr. the Blue Jays scored enough Thursday to support a strong effort from the pitching staff. The 25-year-old is now hitting .322 with 30 home runs, 99 RBI and a .950 OPS – monster numbers that place him among the MLB leaders.
Replacing Bichette on the roster is outfielder Jonatan Clase, the 22-year-old acquired for Yimi Garcia at the trade deadline. A 5’10” centre fielder with surprising power and plus speed, Clase will likely play centre field along with some left at the MLB level.
“Exciting player, and we liked him when we acquired him, obviously,” Schneider said. “He has all the tools, between speed and power. What he’s been working on and will continue to work on is controlling the zone a little bit, cutting down on the swing-and-miss and putting that ball in play. He can also wreak some havoc on the bases. It’s a unique skill set.”
From here, the Blue Jays head to Tampa, where they’ll wrap up the road portion of the schedule with three games against the Rays. But after significant injuries to some of their biggest stars, this wasn’t how they wanted this trip to begin.
