TORONTO — Bo Bichette took ground balls at second base Wednesday afternoon, testing his left knee at a position he has never before played at the MLB level.
After the Toronto Blue Jays’ ALCS win Monday, Bichette said he’d be ready to play in the World Series, though the extent of his availability remains unknown. A sprained left PCL forced him to the sidelines for most of September and the first two rounds of the post-season, but he has continued working out behind the scenes and is said to be progressing well.
Still, the question of how the Blue Jays would use Bichette remains, so seeing him take ground balls at second base at Rogers Centre Wednesday adds intrigue.
A lifelong shortstop, Bichette did play a total of 30 games at second base while coming up through the Blue Jays’ minor-league system, but he hasn’t appeared there at any level since 2019, when he played second once at triple-A. The year before that he played nine games at second for a double-A New Hampshire team managed by John Schneider.
It’s been a while, but if Bichette were able to play some second now, it would give the Blue Jays more flexibility in their upcoming matchup against the Dodgers. Andrés Giménez has offered above-average defence at shortstop, and expecting Bichette to return to the most demanding infield position after seven weeks on the sidelines might be too much to ask. One plugged-in source expects Gimenez to continue playing shortstop.
At the same time, if Bichette could play second base, that would open up designated hitter at-bats for George Springer, who has thrived as a DH. Meanwhile, Ernie Clement could play third and an extra outfield spot would open for someone like Addison Barger, Nathan Lukes or Myles Straw.
Of course, it’s possible the Blue Jays are merely exploring their options and Bichette will be the one who needs DH at-bats. In the scenario that Bichette is primarily a pinch hitter or DH in the World Series, the second base option may be more of a late-game contingency than a plan-A.
Bichette also ran the bases during his workout at Rogers Centre late Wednesday afternoon.
Either way, the Blue Jays have until Friday at 10 a.m. ET to submit their World Series roster. Speaking over the weekend, here’s how Schneider characterized Bichette’s progress.
“The baserunning and the defence is something hopefully we can advance and we can check those boxes in the next few days,” the manager said. “He’s done some light stuff, but hasn’t been like full go at short. And he’s not back on the bases yet, but the running has picked up in the outfield, just in terms of the intensity and the build-up or the length of it, to be perfectly honest. So, yeah, we’ll see how he goes over the next couple days.”
