#bo-bichette

#bo-bichette

The Toronto Blue Jays' front office is notoriously firm in its valuations of players when pursuing free agents and exploring contract extensions. President Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins stick to their assessments of what players are worth throughout the negotiating process, and their discipline has paid off on many occasions. However, not every negotiation can be won with pragmatism. Sometimes front offices need to be emotional and push themselves to uncomfortable places to secure the long-term services of a true difference maker.

But his encouraging signs ran deeper than simply the box score, as he produced his two fastest bat speeds since pre-injury on a pair of 72-m.p.h. swings. The first of which came on a third-inning groundout, while the second was a product of Bichette's RBI single in the seventh - a swing that also generated his highest exit velocity (109.6 m.p.h.) of the World Series.

Bo Bichette has played through a sprained PCL in his left knee during the World Series. He's clearly physically limited but has picked up five hits (all singles) with three RBI in 18 trips to the plate. Of course, Bichette's focus for the next day or two will be fully on the World Series. He did address the injury before tonight's Game 6, telling Ben-Nicholson Smith of Sportsnet that he does not expect he'll need to undergo offseason surgery.

The Blue Jays will get a big jolt of energy as they try and capture their first title since 1993, with Bo Bichette set to return to action for the first time since injuring his knee in early September. Bichette is in the lineup, batting fourth and playing second base for the first time in his MLB career. He took some grounders at second base in advance of the World Series and will get the nod at the position against Dodgers star left-hander Blake Snell.

It was a great rebound season for Bichette after a disastrous 2024. In 628 plate appearances, Bichette slashed .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs for a 134 wRC+, the best mark of his career. His 181 hits finished second in the league, with only Bobby Witt Jr.'s 184 hits surpassing his total. It's worth noting that Bichette missed the final three weeks of the season. Witt Jr. is also nominated for the Silver Slugger Award at shortstop, as is Jeremy Peña of the Houston Astros.

The Jays still managed to make the playoffs without Bichette and have stayed alive in the postseason as well. With each new playoff series, it has been a question of whether Bichette has healed enough to make the roster but he hasn't been able to do so. If the Jays manage to hold off the Mariners tonight, there will be a few more days for recovery, as the World Series doesn't begin until Friday.

Bichette will hit free agency at a relatively young age and coming off a strong season at the plate. Apart from an injury-marred 2024, his offense has been consistently above average. Through the end of 2023, he had a .299/.340/.487 line and 126 wRC+. He has never drawn tons of walks but is also tough to strike out. He had a 143 wRC+ in his brief 2019 debut but then was in the 120-129 range in four straight seasons after that.

Bo Bichette took a small step forward on Wednesday in his recovery from a left PCL sprain. The star shortstop was seen jogging in the outfield at Yankee Stadium prior to Game 4 of the ALDS, reported Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. It's the first we've heard of on-field running work for Bichette since he went down with the knee injury on September 6. Bannon added that Bichette jogged three times in the outfield for about 50 yards, but still had a noticeable limp when he walked back.