Blue Jays activate Bo Bichette from IL ahead of Royals series

The Blue Jays received a major boost ahead of their weekend series with the Kansas City Royals, as shortstop Bo Bichette was activated from the injured list on Friday.

Infielder Mason McCoy was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding roster move.

Bichette landed on the 10-day IL with a quad strain on Aug. 29 after exiting a game against the Cleveland Guardians. He only ended up missing the minimum amount of time.

Toronto's two-time All-Star had missed nearly three weeks at the beginning of August due to a knee injury, and appeared in only eight games before landing back on the shelf with the quad issue.

The 25-year-old has been Toronto's most dynamic offensive player when healthy, slashing .314/.344/.488 with 18 home runs in 114 games in 2023.

Even with Bichette's return, the Blue Jays still remain without a key piece of their infield as third baseman Matt Chapman remains sidelined by a finger injury. Toronto had been using a ragtag group of players to cover the holes on the left side of the diamond, with Cavan Biggio, Santiago Espinal and call-ups Davis Schneider and Ernie Clement factoring in.

The Blue Jays are in the midst of a tight battle in the American League wild-card race. They enter Friday's contest half a game up on the Texas Rangers for the third and final playoff seed and sit two games behind the Seattle Mariners for the second wild card.

Toronto's series with the Royals precedes a massive four-game set with the Rangers that begins on Monday.