Toronto Blue Jays Acquire Shortstop Paul DeJong to Replace Injured Bo Bichette

Hours after Bo Bichette suffered a knee injury, the Toronto Blue Jays acquired shortstop Paul DeJong from the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bichette was injured Monday night against the Orioles, less than 24 hours from the MLB trade deadline. Tuesday, some informants had named DeJong as a potential option to make up for the loss of Bichette.

In return, the Blue Jays traded 24-year-old pitcher Matt Svenson, who still plays in the minors. This season with Dunedin and Vancouver, he is 4-1 in 26 games, has made six saves and has a 1.11 ERA.

In the transaction, the Blue Jays also receive financial compensation.

A seven-year MLB veteran, DeJong is leaving the Cardinals after spending his entire career there since being selected in the 2015 draft.

The 29-year-old DeJong has bounced back a bit this season, having batted below .200 in both 2021 and 2022. This season, DeJong is batting .233 in addition to having hit 13 home runs and drove in 32 runs. DeJong has had a strong start to the season, performing well in April. However, his pace has slowed down a bit since then.

A native of Orlando, DeJong finished second in the 2017 Nationals Rookie of the Year, behind Cody Bellinger. He also participated in the All-Star Game in 2019.

This acquisition should allow the Jays to limit the damage after the loss of Bo Bichette, whose seriousness of the injury is still unknown. Bichette was the Blue Jays’ best offensive weapon this season. He led the team in batting average (.321), OPS (.847) and homeruns with 17 homers.

The Blue Jays are in the heart of the playoff race in the American. Toronto is the last team drafted in the American, two and a half games ahead of the Boston Red Sox.

2023-08-01 18:42:47
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