The Toronto Blue Jays will meet the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series without star shortstop Bo Bichette and right-handed veterans Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios and Max Scherzer.
The Blue Jays announced their 26-man series roster on Saturday, the opening day of the series. It consists of 13 pitchers and 13 position players.
Bichette has not played since Sept. 6 because of a sprained PCL in his left knee, and taking his bat out of the lineup is a huge loss for Toronto. He hit .373 with 24 doubles and 45 RBIs from July 4 until the injury, and tied for second in MLB in hits (181) and doubles (44) behind Bobby Witt Jr. He was tied for second behind Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who hit .331, in batting average (.311).
Among position players, the Yankees also will be without Ty France, who has been sidelined sine Sept. 21 due to left oblique inflammation. Acquired by Toronto at the trade deadline from the Minnesota Twins, France has seven home runs, 52 RBIs and a .257 average in 138 games this season.
On the pitching side, Bassitt made 31 starts on the season but has not pitched since Sept. 18 due to back inflammation. He has an 11-9 record with a 3.96 ERA.
Berrios appeared in 31 games (30 starts) and was 9-5 with a 4.17 ERA. He last pitched in relief on Sept. 24 at Boston but then was placed on the injured list for the first time in his 10-year MLB career with right elbow inflammation.
Apparently healthy is the 41-year-old Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner who finished the season with a 5-5 record and 5.19 ERA. A veteran of 30 postseason games and winner of two World Series titles, Scherzer was ineffective down the stretch, going 0-3 with a 10.20 ERA in four starts in September.
The Blue Jays have four left-handers on the roster, set to challenge the a Yankees lineup with prominent lefty hitters. The roster makeup also means manager John Schneider is likely to turn to 22-year-old Trey Yesavage, their No. 1 prospect, for a start.
He has made three starts for the Blue Jays, going 1-0 with a 3.21 ERA. He has 16 strikeouts in 14 innings.
Prior to landing in Toronto, Yesavage played at four minor league levels this season, rising from Single-A Dunedin to High-A Vancouver to Double-A New Hamphire and finally to Triple-A Buffalo.
Other starters on the roster are Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber.
–Field Level Media
