TORONTO -- It¡¯s not the worst-case scenario, but it¡¯s not good news for the Blue Jays, either. Bo Bichette is headed to the 10-day IL with right patellar tendinitis after pulling up in pain while running the bases on Monday.?

The injury came less than 24 hours before Tuesday¡¯s Trade Deadline and had a clear impact on the Blue Jays¡¯ plans as they acquired shortstop Paul DeJong from the Cardinals. DeJong is with Toronto now, activated on Wednesday in a corresponding move to Bichette¡¯s IL stint.?

After a nervous night, the news that Bichette¡¯s MRI revealed ¡°no structural damage¡± was encouraging, but every game the star shortstop misses is a major blow to the Blue Jays in the middle of a postseason race, especially with so many crucial games against AL East rivals.

¡°The quicker we can get Bo back the better, obviously,¡± manager John Schneider said, ¡°but we¡¯ve got to see how he goes with each day, with each treatment, with each activity.¡±

General manager Ross Atkins also expressed optimism that Bichette will be back in time to help the Blue Jays down the stretch, but this isn¡¯t a player you simply replace.?

¡°In terms of importance, it¡¯s right up there with the most on the team in terms of what he brings from an offensive and defensive standpoint, playing every single day basically,¡± Schneider said. ¡°He¡¯s right up there as the guy who makes us go with his production. You look for other guys to step right in and have opportunities, whether that¡¯s Brandon Belt, Danny Jansen, Vlad, George, Chappy, those guys in the middle.¡±

In the meantime, DeJong will take over Bichette¡¯s duties at shortstop with Santiago Espinal the next option in line. DeJong is batting .233 with 13 home runs and a .710 OPS this season, but his primary value comes in the field, where he¡¯s one of the game¡¯s more reliable defenders.

Offensively, Bichette¡¯s absence will need to be viewed more broadly. DeJong alone isn¡¯t about to replicate the production of the AL hits leader, but a lineup filled with underperforming stars certainly has room to collectively improve. George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. could make up for Bichette¡¯s absence ¨C and then some ¨C by returning to their career norms.?

A Blue Jays lineup without Bichette just won¡¯t look right, either. The 25-year-old had appeared in 106 of the club¡¯s 108 games at the time of his injury, and totaled 159 games each of the past two seasons.?

¡°He prides himself on getting better every day and every year,¡± Schneider said. ¡°I think he¡¯s done that. I think teammates recognize that and we recognize that. He plays a very demanding position. What he brings from both sides of the ball, you don¡¯t find that very often in this league.¡±

The early steps of Bichette¡¯s recovery are ¡°day to day¡± in every sense of those words. The Blue Jays will adjust on the fly based on how Bichette¡¯s patellar tendinitis recovers, and while he¡¯ll want to push it, Toronto will also need to find the right balance of caution for a player who means as much as anyone to this club¡¯s postseason hopes in 2023 and beyond.