'All Hands On Deck': How Blue Jays Will Survive Matt Chapman's Injury at Third Base

The Blue Jays have a few options to fill in at third base with Matt Chapman heading to the injured list.

Matt Chapman has played 280 of the Blue Jays' last 293 games at third base. He's been Toronto's staple at the hot corner for the last two seasons and now they have to find a way to win without him.

Entering the most important month of their season, with playoff hopes hanging in the balance, the Blue Jays placed Chapman on the injured list with right middle finger sprain on Monday. He'll miss at least the next 10 days, leaving the rest of Toronto's roster to fill in.

"It's gonna be grimy, it's gonna be dirty, it's gonna be hard," manager John Schneider said. "It's gonna be different than what we're used to, running out the same guys for basically five months, so you got to look at it as an opportunity for guys to step up."

Here are Toronto's main options to fill in at third over the next few series:

The Usual Suspects: Santiago Espinal, Cavan Biggio

So far this season, Espinal and Biggio have been the primary insurance clauses at third base, logging a combined 15 games at the position.

However, neither Espinal nor Biggio have been particularly effective defensively this year (both grade out in the bottom 15th percentile in Outs Above Average) and their bats haven't been good enough to make up for it. Even with Biggio getting hot after the All-Star Break, neither hitter has an OPS above .670 right now.

As well, if Espinal and Biggio are called off the bench, it could come at positions that aren't third base. Espinal has been the primary backup at shortstop and may need to log more time there with Bo Bichette's ailing quad, while Biggio's been an option against right-handed pitching at second base and the outfield.

The Kid: Davis Schneider

It'll be nearly impossible to fill Chapman's defensive presence at third, but if the Jays want to lean into offensive upside, Schneider is the guy. The rookie has done nothing but rake since cracking the roster earlier this month. In 11 games the 24-year-old is hitting .432 with a 1.442 OPS, blasting five homers in just 37 at-bats.

Across his six minor-league seasons, Schneider has played 33 games (271.2 innings) at third base. He doesn't grade out elite at any defensive position, but maybe the bat makes up for it at third. The Blue Jays could certainly afford to trade a little defense for offense these days.

"It's a big hole to fill, but he's comfortable there," the manager said of Davis Schneider. "That's one thing we try to do with guys like [Schneider] in the minors, just to keep them moving around different spots in case something like this does occur."

The Others: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Whit Merrifield, Ernie Clement

Toronto's 3B options don't end there, either. 

Both Clement and Merrifield took grounders at third ahead of Monday's game against the Nationals and have played the position at times in the majors or minors before. Both are more likely to log their primary positions in the middle infield but could be late-game options at 3B if some weird switches happen.

Or, if the Jays want to get real funky, they have one more lever to pull: the Guerrero Jr. throwback. Toronto's primary first baseman came up all through the minors as a third baseman and played 96 games at the position in his rookie season. He's certainly got the arm for it, as he showed before Monday's game, but there was a reason Toronto moved him to 1B a few years ago. It sounds like Vladdy would be a last option at 3B for a mid-game move.

"He probably wouldn't start there," Schneider said. "Probably in game if needed and would be a very unique circumstance to have that happen."