The Toronto Blue Jays acquired infielder Paul DeJong from the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday for minor league right-hander Matt Svanson.
DeJong provides the Blue Jays insurance after Bo Bichette left Monday night's game against the Baltimore Orioles with right knee soreness. Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters that an MRI on Monday showed "no significant structural damage" in Bichette's knee, and he will be considered day-to-day.
General manager Ross Atkins on Tuesday said Bichette has inflammation in his patellar tendon and that the sore knee "heightened the need" to acquire DeJong.
"He's an interesting fit for us without the injury," Atkins said of DeJong. "He's hit left-handers relatively well. Very good defender that complements our organization and depth."
DeJong, 29, has spent his entire seven-year career with St. Louis, hitting .233/.297/.412 this season, with 13 home runs and 32 RBIs. He was an All-Star in 2019 when he hit a career-best 30 home runs.
DeJong has played mostly shortstop, but has 21 career appearances at second base. Besides Santiago Espinal, who replaced Bichette in the lineup on Monday, the Blue Jays have used Whit Merrifield and Cavan Biggio at second. Merrifield and Biggio both also play the outfield.
Svanson, 24, was the Blue Jays' 13th-round draft selection in 2021 out of Lehigh University. He has combined to go 4-1 with a 1.11 ERA in 26 games, all in relief, split between Dunedin (Low-A) and Vancouver (High-A).
This is the second trade made between the teams before the trade deadline. On Sunday, the Blue Jays acquired reliever Jordan Hicks from the Cardinals.
"Really excited about the players that we acquired, really excited about the potential impact of Jordan Hicks," Atkins said. "I know Paul DeJong is going to contribute in a significant way. Génesis Cabrera has done a great job for us already."
The Blue Jays designated outfielder Jordan Luplow for assignment to make room for DeJong on the 40-man roster.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.