Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: Making progress, ALCS still unclear
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Bichette (knee) said Wednesday that he's "made some huge progress the last few days" but still needs to show he can run the bases before being cleared to join the Blue Jays' ALCS roster, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Recovering from a PCL sprain in his left knee, Bichette did some jogging this week for the first time since he was injured in early September. While he feels "really optimistic about where I stand," Bichette must be able to run the bases without major limitations in order to convince the Blue Jays he's ready to play. If the 27-year-old is included on the ALCS roster, he could be used at designated hitter in order to limit some wear and tear on his knee. Putting Bichette in the DH slot would mean George Springer moving back to the outfield.
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Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: Does some jogging Wednesday
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Bichette jogged in the outfield without a brace on his injured left knee at Yankee Stadium pregame Wednesday, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
Bichette did not initially travel with the Blue Jays when the ALDS moved to New York, so the fact that he's now joined them and did some jogging for the first time since injuring his knee is a good sign. However, Bichette did not run at full effort, and he displayed a noticeable limp as he walked back to the dugout. Bichette hopes to be available for the ALCS, should the Blue Jays advance.
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Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: Left off ALDS roster
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Bichette (knee) isn't listed on the Blue Jays' ALDS roster.
Bichette has yet to resume running since suffering a PCL sprain in his left knee in early September, so his absence from the ALDS roster doesn't come as much of a surprise. The 27-year-old will be eligible to return for the start of the ALCS, provided the Jays make it that far, though he will first need to make significant strides in his recovery. Until then, Andres Gimenez will continue to act as Toronto's primary shortstop.
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Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: Unlikely to play in ALDS
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Bichette (knee) is "increasingly unlikely" to be included on the Blue Jays' ALDS roster, Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reports.
Bichette is coming along slowly but surely in his recovery from a PCL sprain in his left knee and has not yet officially been ruled out for the ALDS. However, the shortstop has yet to be cleared to resume running, so it's not a surprise to hear he's a long shot to play in the ALDS. Bichette could make it back in time for the ALCS, should the Blue Jays advance. With Bichette shelved, Toronto will continue to roll with Andres Gimenez at shortstop.
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Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: Progressing, but timeline uncertain
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Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Wednesday of Bichette (knee) that "every day has gotten better for him," but it remains "day-to-day" in regard to the shortstop's timeline to return, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
Bichette's recovery from a PCL sprain in his left knee is coming along, but it remains up in the air as to whether he will be ready to play in time for Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday. One possibility is Bichette coming back initially as a designated hitter. The Blue Jays should have more on the 27-year-old status later this week.
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Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: Return date remains uncertain
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The Blue Jays are optimistic that Bichette (knee) will be able to return for the start of the ALDS on Saturday, but a definitive timetable for his return is still up in the air, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
Bichette wouldn't have been available had Toronto been forced to play in the wild-card round, making the Blue Jays' first-round bye all the more valuable. The club should have another update on the star shortstop closer to Game 1 on Saturday, and if not, his availability will be evident based on whether his name is listed on the Blue Jays' roster for the ALDS. Even if he's cleared to play during the ALDS, Bichette could be limited to designated-hitter duties initially.
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Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: Not cleared to run yet
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Bichette (knee) has been swinging a bat and throwing, but a timetable for when he'll begin a running progression is unclear, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Bichette has been sidelined for the past three weeks with a PCL sprain in his left knee. The Blue Jays remain hopeful that they will get their shortstop back at some point during the postseason, but when exactly that will happen and in what capacity will remain a mystery until he's able to ramp up his running. Until then, Andres Gimenez will continue to fill in at shortstop.
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Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: Could be back in time for playoffs
Rotowire
Bichette could return in time for the postseason after a second opinion confirmed that the PCL sprain in his left knee will not require surgery, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.
Bichette last played Sept. 6 and while he won't play again during the regular season, it seems there is optimism the shortstop can return in time for the playoffs. The Blue Jays have been using Andres Gimenez at shortstop of late in Bichette's stead.
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Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: Getting second opinion on knee
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Bichette is receiving a second opinion on his injured left knee from Dr. Dan Cooper in Dallas on Monday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The initial diagnosis on Bichette is that he's dealing with a sprained PCL, and the Blue Jays hope to have a better idea as to the shortstop's timeline for a return after his visit with a specialist Monday. Bichette plans to rejoin the Blue Jays in Tampa Bay this week, but it seems unlikely he'll be activated from the 10-day injured list when first eligible Wednesday. With Bichette sidelined, Andres Gimenez has handled shortstop in each of Toronto's last three games.
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Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: Lands on IL with sprained knee
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The Blue Jays placed Bichette on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a left knee sprain.
Bichette appeared to tweak something on a slide into home plate during Saturday's game against the Yankees. He finished that contest but was then out of the lineup Sunday, and subsequent testing has revealed a sprain. The severity of the sprain isn't known at this time, so it's uncertain whether Bichette has a chance to return when eligible Sept. 17. Ernie Clement is starting at shortstop Tuesday versus the Astros, but Isiah Kiner-Falefa should also be in the mix for starts at the position while Bichette is shelved.
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Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: Receiving rare day off
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Bichette is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Bichette started the previous 55 contests and will receive a break Sunday after going 9-for-19 with four doubles and two homers in the first five games of September. He appeared to get a bit banged up during Saturday's contest on a slide into home plate, though no injury has been announced and the shortstop never exited the contest. Monday's team off day will provide Bichette with two consecutive days to rest ahead of a stretch of a stretch of 13 games in 13 days.
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Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: On base three times Sunday
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Bichette went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Sunday's loss to the Marlins.
The shortstop extended his hitting streak to nine games with the performance, a stretch in which he's batting a sizzling .444 (16-for-36) with five doubles, five RBI and eight runs. Bichette hasn't homered since Aug. 6 and hasn't stolen a base since May 4, but he's racked up plenty of fantasy value all the same, leading the majors with 164 hits while compiling a .304/.348/.471 slash line over 128 contests with 16 home runs, four steals, 70 runs and 83 RBI.
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Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: Stays hot vs. Rockies
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Bichette went 2-for-6 with a three-run homer, an RBI double and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 20-1 win over Colorado.
Bichette got Toronto's offensive outburst started Wednesday with a two-out, opposite-field blast off Kyle Freeland in the third inning, his 16th homer this year. The 27-year-old shortstop has been on a tear -- Bichette has at least one hit in seven straight games, going 14-for-33 (.424) with three homers, 12 RBI and no strikeouts in that span. Overall, he's slashing .301/.340/.475 with 78 RBI, 58 runs scored and four stolen bases across 514 plate appearances this year.
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Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: Three more hits in win
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Bichette went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Royals.
All three knocks were singles, but it was still another strong performance from Bichette. Over 16 games since the All-Star break, the shortstop is batting .377 (25-for-69) with eight doubles, a homer, eight runs and 15 RBI.
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Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: New MLB hits leader
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Bichette went 4-for-5 in Monday's loss to the Orioles.
All four knocks were singles, and none of them led to any runs, but Bichette remains laser-focused at the dish. The shortstop has a 10-game hitting streak going in which he's slashing .422/.435/.644 with seven doubles, a homer, six runs and 12 RBI, and per Mitch Bannon of The Athletic, he set a new Blue Jays franchise over the last two contests with hits in nine consecutive at-bats. Bichette's 130 hits on the season leads the majors, as he moved one ahead of Aaron Judge (wrist) with Monday's performance.
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Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: Swats 13th homer
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Bichette went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's win over the Yankees.
He capped the scoring in an 8-4 victory by taking Scott Effross deep in the seventh inning, Bichette's 13th long ball of the year. The 27-year-old shortstop has been on fire in July, slashing .328/.379/.574 through 16 games on the month with nine doubles, two homers, nine runs and 10 RBI.
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Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: Two more two-baggers
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Bichette went 2-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and two RBI in Sunday's win over the Giants.
The shortstop has unleashed a barrage of two-baggers over the last couple weeks. Bichette has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games, slashing .362/.423/.574 over that stretch with seven doubles, a homer, six RBI and seven runs.
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Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: Back in lineup Friday
Rotowire
Bichette (knee) is in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Angels.
The shortstop stepped on a ball during batting practice Monday and missed almost the entire four-game set against the Yankees, though Bichette appeared off the bench Thursday, going 0-for-1. Now that he's feeling well enough to return to the lineup, Bichette will look to put the finishing touches on a resurgent first half in which he's slashed .272/.311/.426 with 11 homers and four steals over 380 plate appearances.
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Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: Absent from lineup again Thursday
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Bichette (knee) remains out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees.
Bichette tweaked his right knee when he stepped on a ball during batting practice prior to Monday's game versus the Yankees, and he will wind up being out of the lineup for all four games of the series. Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Bichette should be available off the bench, however, and it's "very realistic" the shortstop will be back in the lineup for Friday's game versus the Angels, per Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. Ernie Clement will again handle shortstop, while Will Wagner will be to Clement's right at third base.
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Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: Remains out Tuesday
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Bichette (knee) remains out of the lineup for Tuesday's game versus the Yankees.
Bichette was a late scratch from the lineup ahead of Monday's 5-4 win after tweaking his right knee when he stepped on a baseball during batting practice. He'll miss a second straight start Tuesday and is considered day-to-day. Leo Jimenez will start at shortstop and bat ninth for the Blue Jays.
