Bo Bichette has no intention of missing his first chance to play in the World Series.
The Toronto shortstop, sidelined for the past six weeks due to a sprained left knee, expects to be on the roster when the Blue Jays host the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the Fall Classic on Friday.
Bichette announced his intention in the locker room after the Blue Jays won Game 7 of the American League Championship Series on Monday, edging the visiting Seattle Mariners 4-3.
“This is a dream for me to be playing in these games,” Bichette said, adding of the World Series, “I’ll be ready.”
Earlier Monday, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Bichette was improving in his rehab.
“Progress is just kind of just where he feels with his swing and how much more comfortable he feels kind of letting it rip,” Schneider said. “I think the baserunning and the defense is something hopefully we can advance and we can check those boxes in the next few days.
“He’s done some light stuff but hasn’t been like full go at short and 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 — the length of it to be perfectly honest.”
As for whether the Blue Jays intend to add Bichette back to the roster for the World Series, Schneider said prior to the Game 7 win, “We’ll see how he goes over the next couple days. Hopefully we can stick around long enough and he can get back to us.”
Bichette, 27, is a two-time All-Star who has played all seven of his major league seasons in Toronto. He put up good numbers at the plate this year, hitting .311 with a .357 on-base percentage, a .483 slugging percentage, 18 homers and 94 RBIs in 139 games.
His career batting line is .294/.337/.469 with 111 homers and 437 RBIs in 748 games.
However, Bichette is considered a below-average fielder.
Andres Gimenez has started at shortstop in all 11 of the Blue Jays’ postseason games this month, hitting .263 (10-for-38) with two homers and eight RBIs. He batted eighth in the order for the first two games of the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees, but he has hit ninth in every game since.
