Blue Jays’ Teoscar Hernandez to miss ‘serious time’ with rib injury

Blue Jays will be without Teoscar Hernandez for a significant amount of time

Just as the Toronto Blue Jays are preparing to welcome back a trio of players and get over their injury woes, they’re now forced to deal with arguably the most significant blow yet.

Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who’s risen into the conversation for American League Most Valuable Player this season, will miss “serious time” with a rib injury, according to Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun. He’ll undergo an MRI later on Sunday to determine the extent of the injury.

The injury is a serious blow to a Blue Jays club chasing a playoff spot in the AL. Hernandez is enjoying a career season in 2020. His 14 home runs are tied with Fernando Tatis Jr. for second in the league behind Mike Trout’s 15. In his last 18 games, he’s hitting .349 with seven homers and 13 RBI. He’s fourth in the AL in OPS since Aug. 20, behind Jose Abreu, Kyle Tucker, and Trout; he’s behind only Abreu in homers.

Can the Blue Jays make a playoff push without Hernandez?

His value to the Blue Jays was on full display during their game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Saturday. In the span of three innings, Hernandez hit a 442-foot home run to straightway center-field, made a diving catch in right to rob Rafael Devers of a base hit, and threw out Michael Chavis trying to reach third base.

Hernandez has been a pleasant surprise, and so has this young Blue Jays team. The Blue Jays are 8-5 in their last 13 games and are tied with the White Sox and Dodgers for most wins since Aug. 16. They’re second in the AL in home runs this season, behind only the White Sox. Tied with the Yankees for second place in the AL East at 21-18, the Blue Jays currently have an 83.8 percent chance of reaching the postseason, according to Fangraphs.

But the fragility of their place in the standings was also revealed on Saturday. The Blue Jays blew a ninth-inning lead, losing 9-8 to the Red Sox. Of their 39 games so far this season, 20 have been decided by one run, four more than any other team in baseball (the Astros have 16). The Blue Jays are 11-9 in one-run games. Given how close and competitive most of their games are, losing Hernandez for a significant period could damage their playoff hopes.

Fortunately, the Blue Jays have received some good news on the injury front. Pitcher Nate Pearson threw a 26-pitch bullpen session on Saturday. Bo Bichette is taking batting practice and taking ground balls as he works to return to the lineup for the first time since Aug. 15 after suffering a knee sprain. And closer Ken Giles, who appeared in just two games at the beginning of the season before going on the IL with a strained forearm, is scheduled to throw a simulated batting practice on Tuesday and could be activated as soon as Sept. 10.