Jays leave Bichette, Scherzer, Bassitt, Berríos off ALDS roster
The Toronto Blue Jays announced their American League Division Series roster that will face the New York Yankees with four notable omissions.
Shortstop Bo Bichette and starting pitchers Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt, and José Berríos weren't included among the 26-man group.
OFFICIAL: Presenting our ALDS roster! #WANTITALL pic.twitter.com/6fDDBG9JBr
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) October 4, 2025
Manager John Schneider said Saturday that Bichette still hasn't resumed running and isn't hitting velocity yet as he continues to recover from a PCL sprain, according to Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet. The 27-year-old suffered the knee injury Sept. 6 during a collision with Yankees catcher Austin Wells at the plate.
Despite missing 23 games, Bichette still led the Blue Jays with 181 hits and a .311 average. He slashed .281/.314/.500 in nine games against New York.
Schneider added that Scherzer likely would've been on the ALDS roster if the Blue Jays would've played the Boston Red Sox but doesn't like how the veteran right-hander matches up vs. the Yankees.
Scherzer, 41, authored a career-worst 5.19 ERA over 85 innings in 2025, which included a September start against New York that saw him surrender four earned runs over 4 1/3 innings because he was tipping pitches. The three-time Cy Young winner and future Hall of Famer owns a 3.78 ERA with 171 strikeouts over 143 innings in the postseason across 18 years in the majors.
Schneider said Bassitt wasn't stretched out enough after landing on the 15-day injured list with back inflammation Sept. 20. The 36-year-old posted a 3.96 ERA with 8.8 K/9 over 170 1/3 innings during the regular season.
Berríos is dealing with an elbow injury. The 31-year-old landed on the IL in late September for the first time in his 10-year career after losing his spot in the rotation.
Rookie Trey Yesavage will start Sunday's Game 2 and right-hander Shane Bieber gets the nod for Tuesday's Game 3 in New York.
Yesavage allowed five earned runs with seven walks and 16 strikeouts over 14 innings (three starts) after making his MLB debut in mid-September. The 22-year-old is Toronto's top prospect.