This story was excerpted from Keegan Matheson’s Blue Jays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

There’s no replacing Bo Bichette.

Whether he misses the minimum 10 days on the IL stint or needs a little longer, every day the Blue Jays spend without their star shortstop will be a challenge. 

Bichette was batting .321 when he went down with right patellar tendinitis, leading the AL in hits by a comfortable margin. It’s not up to Paul DeJong to replicate those numbers, though. DeJong is with the Blue Jays to play solid defense, hit the occasional home run and keep the position afloat during Bichette’s absence. 

It’s up to the rest of the roster to replace Bichette, collectively.

VLADIMIR GUERRERO JR.

Now’s the time for Guerrero to play to his talent level, which is something far greater than an OPS hovering around .800. 

There have been so many flashes of MVP-caliber Vladdy this season, which makes it all the more frustrating. It looked like a Home Run Derby win would catapult Guerrero into a big second half, but his problem has been sustaining those extraordinary bursts. 

What we’ve seen play out since his incredible 2021 season is the league adjusting to Guerrero, and he hasn’t always countered those adjustments. Guerrero is currently on pace to finish near 25 home runs, which is far too few for a hitter gifted with power like his, and a relative lack of power has been a real issue for this club. The Blue Jays have the talent to be a top-three team in home runs, but they sit near the middle of the league.

GEORGE SPRINGER

What a tough stretch this has been for Springer, who can’t buy a base hit over the past week. 

All players are beaten up and worn down at this time of the season, but in terms of “notable” injuries, Springer has been healthy this season. That wasn’t always the case for him in his first two seasons with the Blue Jays, but the 33-year-old has stayed in the lineup and looked solid in right field. 

“He’s been through enough in his career to understand that baseball is long and baseball is hard,” manager John Schneider said. “Everyone goes through it here and there. You need guys to respond in the right way and he definitely has, so it’s just a matter of time for George.”

When the Blue Jays signed Springer, his track record of postseason success was one of his most attractive skills. For the Blue Jays to get there, they’ll need him to be more productive in the regular season.

DAULTON VARSHO

With an average that’s been getting a little too close to .200 and an on-base percentage that hasn’t touched .300 since June 17, Varsho’s first season with the Blue Jays has been a struggle, offensively. 

The Blue Jays were betting on serious upside in Varsho’s bat, particularly in the power department, but that hasn’t shown itself either (12 HR). Varsho is an absolutely remarkable defender and baserunner, of course, so the Blue Jays don’t need him to turn around and win a Silver Slugger Award this season, but there’s so much room for him to improve on these numbers.

The more Varsho is on base at the bottom of this lineup, the better, given his ability to change the game with his legs.