The Toronto Blue Jays placed shortstop Bo Bichette on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with right patellar tendinitis.
Bichette left Monday's 4-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles in the third inning after he jammed his knee while running the bases. Manager John Scheidner told reporters Tuesday that an MRI showed "no significant structural damage" in Bichette's knee, but the team opted to send him to the IL ahead of its game Wednesday against the Orioles.
A two-time All Star, Bichette has a .321 average and 144 hits. He had missed just one game this season before Monday's injury.
On Tuesday, Toronto acquired infielder Paul DeJong from the St. Louis Cardinals, a move aimed at providing insurance in case Bichette's absence is prolonged. DeJong, 29, had spent his entire seven-year career with St. Louis, hitting .233/.297/.412 this season. with 13 home runs and 32 RBIs. DeJong joined the team Wednesday and was batting seventh and playing shortstop against Baltimore.
Bichette played 30 of 60 games in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season because of a sprained right knee. He played 159 of 162 games in both 2021 and 2022.
In the corresponding roster moves Wednesday, the Blue Jays recalled Thomas Hatch from Triple-A Buffalo and optioned fellow right-hander Nate Pearson to the Bisons.
The Blue Jays began the day at 59-49, third in the wild-card race. They were two games behind Houston and six games behind Tampa Bay.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.