TAMPA — Bo Bichette will miss the rest of the regular season but the PCL sprain in his left knee requires nothing more than “rest and rehab” to heal, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Tuesday.
The assessment came from a second opinion the star shortstop received Monday in Dallas from Dan Cooper, a specialist who is also team physician for the NFL’s Cowboys.
Bichette did some rehab work at the Blue Jays’ Player Development Complex on Tuesday and Schneider wasn’t certain when he would resume baseball activities, but suggested “probably later this week.”
Once he does, the benchmarks for further progress will be “just being comfortable and what that looks like, swinging the bat, running the bases, all that kind of stuff,” said the manager. “That was part of the second opinion, too, making sure that there was nothing we have to revisit and see how he does as he starts to ramp up.”
Twelve games, including Tuesday’s contest against the Tampa Bay Rays, remain in the regular season and Bichette will be “working hard to be back as soon as he can after that.”
In the interim, the Blue Jays appear intent on continuing with Andres Gimenez at shortstop, starting him there for a fifth straight game Tuesday. Schneider cautioned that nothing is set in stone but the three-time, Gold-Glove second baseman “has been good, feedback from him has been good and we'll just put it together however we can.”
“But,” he added, “can't argue with the results so far.”
The Blue Jays are 6-2 since Bichette left a 3-1 loss to the New York Yankees on Sept. 6 after his shin slammed into catcher Austin Wells’ leg guard while sliding into home, but his absence removes one of the club’s most productive hitters from the lineup.
Bichette’s 181 hits and 44 doubles continue to lead the majors even after he’s missed a week and a half, while his 94 RBIs remain tops on the club, by a wide margin. Extending the team’s initial success without him through the regular season’s end will require continued collective contributions.
“When he went on the IL, everyone was asking like, hey, who's going to step up, and it has to be everyone doing their part and not trying to do something they're not good at,” said Schneider. “I sound like a broken record, but that's what's gotten us to this point. So I think not saying, 'Woe is me, we lost Bo, who's hitting fourth and has 90-something RBI's,' and it's just, 'OK, what can I do today to help?' Hopefully it's a couple of guys that (get hot) at the same time, but if it's a different guy every night, so be it.”
