After the Blue Jays clinched their first American League Championship Series appearance since 2016 on Wednesday, two-time All-Star shortstop Bo Bichette told reporters that he has “made a lot of progress recently” in his recovery from the left knee injury that has kept him out since Sept. 6.
Bichette also said he is “optimistic” about his chances to return for the ALCS.
The Blue Jays will host Games 1 and 2 of the ALCS against the winner of Friday’s ALDS Game 5 between the Detroit Tigers and the Seattle Mariners.
“I still have some hurdles to clear, but I’m optimistic,” Bichette said, via MLB.com.
He added: “I’m feeling better every day.”
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The 27-year-old Bichette suffered a PCL sprain during a 3-1 loss to the Yankees last month. Zooming home as the potential game-tying run, he made a beeline for the plate from second base. Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger delivered a throw to catcher Austin Wells, who tagged Bichette out as he rammed into Wells’ shin protectors while sliding feet first.
Bichette hobbled off the field. Although he returned to the game after a subsequent, nearly two-hour rain delay — and his X-rays came back clean — Bichette experienced soreness in his knee the following day, per MLB.com. He eventually received an MRI that identified the sprain.
Bichette was placed on the 10-day IL, but his return has taken much longer than that.
His recovery timeline was readjusted in the middle of September, when Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Bichette would miss the rest of the regular season. The hope was for Bichette to be back for the start of the playoffs, but he was left off the Blue Jays’ ALDS roster.
“Good news the last couple of days,” Schneider said of Bichette on Wednesday, per MLB.com.
“He was out there running today, and he actually hit off Max [Scherzer] and Chris [Bassitt] back home. He hit against [velocity] and hit in the game. He didn’t run, but he took 14 swings off of them. He’s just trying to feel out his timing. These last three days have been pretty good for him.”
Schneider said last week that his staff doesn’t plan on using Bichette in a hero-spot role. In other words, he needs to be healthy enough to play regularly, not just pinch hit. His running progression will be key in that.
Bichette, whose .311 batting average this season was tied for second in the majors, is in the final year of a three-year, $33.6 million deal and is set to hit free agency this offseason.
At the moment, however, he’s trying to do everything he can to get back in the lineup and help the Blue Jays advance to the World Series.
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