Injured Blue Jays Slugger Named Player Under Most Pressure To Perform
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The Toronto Blue Jays are in a battle in the American League East with the New York Yankees for the top spot.
After winning against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday afternoon, the Blue Jays are four games ahead of the Yankees. They lost to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night, widening the gap in the standings. It is a great spot for Toronto to be in with 13 games remaining in the regular season.
There is a lot of excitement surrounding the team preparing for their next series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Top pitching prospect, Trey Yesavage, will be making his MLB debut in the opener on Monday night. Despite being thrown into the fire of a playoff race, he isn’t feeling any pressure to perform.
He may not feel the pressure, but the team will be counting on him. However, as long as their offense continues performing up to its capabilities, there won’t be a ton of pressure on the pitching staff. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is someone who people will be keeping a close eye on down the stretch.
That's what comes along as the face of the franchise following him signing a historic 14-year, $500 million contract extension. However, he isn’t the only player who will be facing some pressure the remainder of the season.
Bo Bichette Under Pressure To Perform for Blue Jays
In the opinion of Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report, it is his teammate, shortstop Bo Bichette, who is under the most pressure to deliver over the final few weeks of the regular season and playoffs. He was placed at No. 4 on the list. It is hard to argue against that selection despite the former All-Star currently being sidelined with a sprained knee.
Set to be a free agent this winter, he has already put himself in a great position to land a lucrative contract. He has successfully bounced back from a wretched 2024 campaign in which he battled injuries and was not effective when on the field. Thus far this season, he has a .311/.357/.483 slash line with an OPS+ of 128.
Despite not playing since Sept. 6 when he suffered a knee sprain playing against the Yankees, Bichette still leads the MLB with 181 hits entering play on Sept. 15. His 44 doubles are also the most in baseball. The Blue Jays are optimistic he will return for the stretch run in September, which is important for a few reasons.
Most importantly, it would give him some time to knock off the rust and get game reps ahead of the postseason. Entering the playoffs without being on the field for a month would be far from ideal. Playing for his next contract, it is imperative that he is able to get back on the field and produce.
A great performance in October could lead to Bichette adding some money to his next contract, which is almost assuredly going to be of the long-term variety. The only thing holding him back is his defense. His age and production at the plate are both major pluses.
