Blue Jays Reveal ALCS Roster Change After Struggling Star's Season Ends
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The Toronto Blue Jays are in a battle with the Seattle Mariners for the American League pennant. After dropping the first two games in an embarrassing fashion they bounced back and took game three in Seattle. Now the team is looking to even the series out, but they won't be without one of their guys.
The Blue Jays are already playing shorthanded as the ballclub has been without Bo Bichette for over a month know (knee sprain). While he has a chance to play for the World Series, their right fielder will not.
Anthony Santander was officially removed from the ALCS roster on Thursday replaced with Joey Loperfido, per the team. Per MLB rules, he will not be eligible to return for the World Series if the Jays advance.
Issues first arose with Santander early in the series. He was scratched in game two with back tightness and stiffness specifically in the lower part. Game three he did suit up and play, but he left early and was replaced with Myles Straw in the outfield. Now, he is officially done for the year and will be cheering on his team from the dugout.
This is the second blow to the outfield that the Jays have undertaken this series alone. Nathan Lukes fouled a ball off of his knee in game one and was pulled out of the game early. Luckily, Lukes has returned, but could be something to watch.
The Jays Without Santander
Luckily for Toronto they aren't losing a big bat and for a team who lives and dies by their offense that is ultimately a good thing. Santander has only three hits in the five games that he is played this season with a pair of RBI with a .200 batting average.
Now he has been replaced with Loperfido. This will be the 26-year-old's first postseason game as he debuted just last year. In his first season with the Blue Jays he played in 41 games and in those outings he had a .333 batting average to complement a .500 slugging percentage.
In the end Loperfido could be another unlikely hero that the Blue Jays need to get against this stacked Mariners team. This will be big moment for this young gun who has yet to finish a full year of baseball.
Toronto will have Max Scherzer taking the mound for the game four start. If the team hopes to redeem themselves at Rogers Centre then they need this win. It isn't an elimination game, but again feels like a must-win or the team will be down 3-1 in a best-of-seven series with a trip to the World Series on the line.
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Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.