The Toronto Blue Jays finally know their opponent for the American League Division Series, and they offered an update on franchise shortstop Bo Bichette’s status for the best-of-5 series against the New York Yankees.
Depending on your perspective, both updates seem like bad news.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider offered some cryptic words that do not seem good for Bichette’s potential return from a knee injury, which has kept him out of Toronto’s lineup since Sept. 6.
Bichette landed on the injured list with a sprained knee he sustained against the Yankees in New York last month. He injured his knee sliding into home plate in Toronto’s 3-1 loss yet finished the game before getting imaging the next day after the injury swelled up on him.
Bichette, who along with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is tied for the longest-tenured member of the Blue Jays, hit .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs, 78 runs scored and a team-high 94 RBIs in 139 games.
The Blue Jays will host the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday at 4:08 p.m. ET.
Bo Bichette Is Facing ‘Uphill Battle’ To Return For Yankees Series
The Blue Jays were hoping the extra four-day break would be enough to get Bichette back in time for Game 1. But according to MLB.com Blue Jays reporter Keegan Matheson, Bichette isn’t likely to be ready for Game 1 on Saturday
“Heâs still facing an uphill climb to return from his left knee sprain in time for the ALDS,” Matheson reported Thursday.
The Blue Jays held an intrasquad game Wednesday at Rogers Centre to stay fresh — before the Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox in the final two games of their best-of-3 American League Wild Card Series.
Though Schneider left the door open for Bichette to get healthy enough to return, he sounded like Bichette may not even be on Toronto’s ALDS roster.
âIâll never put anything past Bo, in terms of people saying he canât do something and him proving them wrong,â Schneider said, according to Matheson. âThis is a big couple of days for him, obviously. If heâs ready, weâll obviously welcome him back with open arms. If heâs not, thatâs another thing you want to play for: to keep going to get him back in the next round.â
Blue Jays ‘Miss’ Bo Bichette
It may seem obvious to say a player as long-tenured and widely respected as the Blue Jays shortstop would be missed by his club, yet Guerrero spoke openly about his feelings for his longtime running mate being away from the club.
âWe miss him and he knows we miss him,â Guerrero said Wednesday, according to MLB.com. âThat is Godâs plan. Whatever God has for us, weâve got to take. I hope we can win this series and he comes back for the next one.â
Yet, the Blue Jays may especially miss Bichette since he has spent his career tormenting the Yankees. He is slashing .305/.354/.506 with 13 home runs and 49 RBIs and 48 runs scored in 82 career games against New York.
Even without Bichette, Guerrero is hoping this year will be different, since the Blue Jays have not won a postseason round since 2016 — and Guerrero is 0-6 in his career in postseason games.
âI hope that this year is going to be better,” Guerrero said. “This year, weâre trying to win it all.â
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