Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette begins hitting progression, feeling ‘better every day’

Bichette, who’s already been ruled out for the remainder of the regular season, has been sidelined since injuring his left knee against the New York Yankees on Sep. 6. He suffered the injury during a home-plate collision while sliding into catcher Austin Wells.

The hope is that Bichette can ramp up and return for the start of the playoffs, which, if the Blue Jays earn one of the top two seeds in the American League and bypass the wild-card round, will begin on Oct. 4. That would provide their superstar shortstop with an extra week to prepare himself for Game 1 of the post-season.

If Bichette is available in October, there’s a decent chance he’s used exclusively as the designated hitter, likely keeping Andrés Giménez at short and Ernie Clement at second base.

That would mean moving George Springer to the outfield, as well as Anthony Santander, if he makes the club’s post-season roster. But it’s probably a risk worth taking to have the two-time All-Star’s bat back in the lineup.

Following an injury-plagued 2024 season, Bichette has been one of Toronto’s leading forces at the plate in ’25, as he still leads the majors in hits (181) and doubles (44), while slashing .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs and 94 RBIs in 139 games. He’s also accounted for a 133 wRC+ (100 league average), worth 3.8 fWAR.

Bichette, who’ll become a free agent this winter, received a second opinion on his left knee earlier this week that confirmed he wouldn’t require surgery.