Blue Jays' Semien: 'I still see myself as a shortstop'

Marcus Semien still views himself as a shortstop despite his historical campaign as the Toronto Blue Jays starting second baseman.

"That's great," Semien said Saturday when asked about matching the MLB single-season record for homers by a second baseman, according to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith. "I still see myself as a shortstop. I've been playing the position for so long. Now I go over there to second, and I'm hitting more home runs, so it's all good. I've never had my name in any record book, so it's really cool."

Semien, who hit his 43rd long ball of the season, made 776 starts at short with the Oakland Athletics between 2015-2020.

The 2019 AL MVP finalist joined the Blue Jays on a one-year, $18-million contract in the offseason. The deal came after Semien failed to land a lucrative multi-year pact following a down year during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. The 31-year-old is slated to hit free agency again at the end of the season, but Toronto has reportedly tried to extend the All-Star.

Bo Bichette is currently the Blue Jays starting shortstop. The 23-year-old All-Star is under team control through 2025 and isn't arbitration-eligible until after next year.