TORONTO — The Blue Jays will remain without shortstop Bo Bichette against the Mariners in the American League Championship Series, but they added veteran right-handers Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt to the roster with their first AL pennant in 32 years on the line.
Seattle made two changes to the roster that beat Detroit in the division series, with ace right-hander Bryan Woo returning.
The Blue Jays held out hope that Bichette could return from his left knee sprain for the series, but that was dashed Saturday when he felt pain and was in clear discomfort while running the bases for the first time since the injury.
Game 1 is Sunday night at Rogers Centre.
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Bichette, 27, hasn’t played since injuring his knee in a collision at home plate against the New York Yankees on Sept. 6. He had run for the first time since the injury Wednesday and hit live pitching Friday.
Without Bichette, the Blue Jays started the surehanded Andres Gimenez at shortstop in all four ALDS games against the Yankees. The offense continued rolling, scoring 34 runs in the series and 23 in the first two games at Rogers Centre. Bichette, however, would have given the Blue Jays another valuable weapon against a quality Mariners pitching staff.
Bichette batted .311 — tied for second in the AL — with 18 home runs, 94 RBIs and an .840 OPS in 139 games, though he was the worst defensive shortstop in the majors as measured by outs above average and defensive runs saved. It was a timely offensive rebound from an injury-plagued 2024 season with free agency looming this winter. The Blue Jays now must reach the World Series to ensure he hasn’t played his last game for them.
Scherzer and Bassitt replaced relievers Justin Bruihl and Tommy Nance, who were on Toronto’s roster for the AL Division Series, to give the pitching staff more length in a seven-game series.
Scherzer, who threw more than 90 pitches in a simulated game during the ALDS, is a candidate to start Game 4 in Seattle on Thursday. Manager John Schneider said Bassitt, who finished the regular season on the injured list with back inflammation, could pitch multiple innings.
Scherzer was 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA in 17 starts this season. The eight-time All-Star struggled down the stretch, going 1-3 with a 9.00 ERA in his final six starts. Bassitt was 11-9 with a 3.96 ERA in 32 outings (31 starts). He last pitched on Sept. 18, when he logged 4⅓ innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Kevin Gausman will start Game 1 for Toronto opposite Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller. Trey Yesavage and Shane Bieber are expected to follow for the Blue Jays in Games 2 and 3.
Besides Woo, the Mariners added utilityman Miles Mastrobuoni for the ALCS. They replaced outfielder Luke Raley and infielder Ben Williamson.
A first-time All-Star this season, the 25-year-old Woo hasn’t pitched since Sept. 19 because of pectoral inflammation. He went 15-7 with a 2.94 ERA and 198 strikeouts across 186⅔ regular-season innings.
There are three catchers among Seattle’s 13 position players: Cal Raleigh, Mitch Garver and Harry Ford.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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