Bichette didn't play for a month and a half, but he's made his presence known for the Toronto Blue Jays as they chase a World Series title.
After not playing for a month and a half because of a left knee sprain, Toronto Blue Jays infielder Bo Bichette has made quite the impact in this World Series. The Blue Jays lead the Dodgers three games to two and are just one win away from their first World Series title since 1993.
Playing a combination of second base and designated hitter, Bichette is 5-for-16 in the World Series with three RBIs. He's hitting .313 and has an on-base percentage of .389. He's had to be pinch-run for late at times, but he's been plenty impactful when he's on the field, pairing with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk to make a potent middle of the order.
What's even more impressive is that Bichette was able to jump back in without a traditional rehab assignment. Because the minor league season has been over since early September, there was no chance for him to play rehab games in preparation for this round of the playoffs.
He wasn't even on the roster in the American League Division Series or the American League Championship Series.
ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney appeared on our sister Seattle Mariners site's 'Refuse to Lose' podcast and said he's "shocked" at how impactful Bichette has been.
Shocked. Absolutely shocked. In fact, when when they had him in the lineup in Game 1, I thought it was insane, especially playing in second base. But it's a classic case where the manager knows more about his players than an idiot sportswriter does. And what John Snyder, the Blue Jays manager, told us was Bo Bichette is one of these talents who you can wake him up in the dead of winter and hand him a bat as he's groggy and gets out of bed, and he's going to hit a line drive some place. Yordan Alvarez is looked at being that type of player, and they were confident that he would find his swing. And with each successive game, it's pretty clear he's quickly getting his swing, despite the fact that he really can't run, he really can't move that well on defense...
Bichette and the Blue Jays will return home to Rogers Centre for Game 6 of the World Series on Friday night as they look to clinch the series. Kevin Gausman will take the mound for Toronto while right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitches for Los Angeles. He won Game 2 with a complete-game effort.
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