Bo Bichette’s big bat could give Blue Jays much-needed burst as he approaches his return. Monday, an off day for the Blue Jays after their series-finale win over the Chicago Cubs to avoid a sweep, was looming as a Bo Day.
“It’s a big day,” manager John Schneider admitted, referring to his best hitter. “He moved around well (Sunday and Saturday). He’s almost finished checking all the boxes before he returns.”
Based on Schneider’s comments, the Jays may be in a better position to make a more definitive decision on Bichette’s availability as early as Monday afternoon.
“He’s going to come in (Monday) for a workout, and we’ll sort of go from there,” Schneider said.
Every day, the media checks in with the skipper in the hours leading up to the opening pitch. Nothing suggests a departure from the pre-game norm, so Schneider may make the announcement Tuesday that Bichette is back in the lineup.
Perhaps he won’t. In either case, he will be asked to provide an update on Bichette’s status.
Bichette hurt his knee while rounding first base against Baltimore late last month. In his 13-game absence, the Jays have gone 7-6, an uneven stretch in which the team scored 13 runs in Boston to complete a three-game sweep before scoring a combined 14 runs in the next six games.
Everyone knew the Jays would miss Bichette, but his absence was more noticeable than expected.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., in particular, was expected to take on more, but he has been more or less disappointing.
Davis Schneider was called up for the series at Fenway Park and provided a much-needed spark after Toronto’s disastrous performance against visiting Baltimore.
Hindsight is a wonderful tool for reflecting on what could have been, but it’s interesting to speculate what record this team would have heading into the Philly series if Schneider hadn’t produced Babe-like numbers at Fenway.
Bichette will return, as will others. When someone returns, the axe inevitably falls.
The Jays used a six-man rotation because they knew they had a tough 17-game in 17-day stretch coming up. Knowing that three off days were coming up in the next eight, the team assigned Alek Manoah to triple-A, making him the odd man out.
Once Bichette is cleared, a positional player will feel the squeeze, and Kevin Kiermaier, who required eight stitches to close a cut on his right elbow sustained at Fenway while making a leaping catch in center, is close to returning.
“It’s a good puzzle to solve,” John Schneider explained.
Closer Jordan Romano will undoubtedly return. The Markham native has been nursing a sore back, but he returned to Toronto on Sunday from a rehab assignment in Buffalo.
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