Jose Bautista to miss remainder of Blue Jays season, so what’s next?

Jose Bautista won't play another game for the Toronto Blue Jays this season. The All-Star right fielder has been out of the lineup since mid-August and has now been officially shut down due to a lingering hip injury. He's expected to fully recover for the start of spring training and not rushing him back will provide an opportunity for the Jays to give at-bats to some younger players as they trudge towards the end of a disappointing year.

It's the second straight season Bautista hasn't been able to play in September - last year it was a wrist injury, this year it's his hip. This is the third year of the five-year, $64M that includes an additional team option for 2016 that he signed with the Blue Jays following his breakout 54 home run season. He followed up 2010 with a monster 2011 campaign (.302/.447/.608, 43 home runs, 7.7 fWAR) but the last two seasons haven't been nearly as kind, which leads to the question, how should Bautista's tenure be assessed?

Since 2010 he's been the best right fielder in baseball according to the fWAR metric (21.5). Over that span only Miguel Cabrera has hit more home runs. This season, he became just the fourth Blue Jay to have four consecutive 25+ home run seasons, joining Carlos Delgado (1996-2004), Joe Carter (1991-96), and George Bell (1984-87).

Beyond his on-field performance, there have been multiple high-profile confrontations with umpires and questions about his leadership - a criticism largely levied against him because of the team's lack of success during his time there, an example of correlation vs. causation. Bautista's injuries are concerning, possibly a sign of wear and tear for a player on the wrong side of 30 that bounced around the baseball world before settling in Toronto.

Alex Anthopoulos and the Blue Jays front office committed to Bautista as their franchise cornerstone. It hasn't unfolded as either of them had hoped. There has been speculation that a trade could be a possibility but it really seems that there's only one option - Jose Bautista back as the Blue Jays' right fielder next season working to change the narrative around him and the team.