NEW YORK – Bo Bichette was scheduled to race Wednesday for the first time since spraining his left knee last month, and the Toronto Blue Jays are still hoping their starting shortstop can return to the lineup later in the postseason.
A two-time All-Star, Bichette finished the regular season on the injured list and was left off the roster for the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees. He batted in a simulated game Tuesday in Toronto against teammates Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt, then joined the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium.
“The last three days have been pretty positive for him,” manager John Schneider said Wednesday. “Racing today for the first time. We’re going to take it one day at a time and just listen to how he feels.
“…I think he probably turned a little corner in terms of his steady progress. It wasn’t just kind of hitting in the cage; he was facing live pitches and knew he was going to run today for the first time.”
Bichette hasn’t played since Sept. 6, when he sprained his knee in a collision with Yankees catcher Austin Wells.
“I think he’s making progress, and we’ll continue to make that happen day by day,” Schneider said.
If Toronto advances, they would open the best-of-seven AL Championship Series at home on Sunday.
Andres Gimenez, a three-time Gold Glove winner at second base with the Cleveland Guardians, recently moved from second to shortstop with the Blue Jays to help replace Bichette.
Bichette, 27, had a solid season before getting injured, hitting .311 with 18 homers, 94 RBIs and an .840 OPS in 139 games. He finished second in the majors in batting average behind Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.
Bichette, who can become a free agent after the World Series, is the son of former major league slugger Dante Bichette.
