Bo Bichette sustained a knee injury halting his season before rejoining the Blue Jays for the Game 1 of the World Series.Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Bo Bichette is not in the starting lineup for Saturday’s Game 2 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but that doesn’t mean he won’t get into the game at some point.
Bichette started Game 1 on Friday – an 11-4 win for the Jays – his first game in seven weeks as he’s been recovering from a knee injury suffered in early September. He played second base, a position he’d never played in the majors, instead of his usual shortstop. In Game 2, the Jays are starting Isaiah Kiner-Falefa at second, but Bichette could enter later in the game.
Earlier: Blue Jays down Dodgers 11-4 in World Series Game 1
“He felt pretty good after the game. Checking in with him today, probably feels a little bit better than he expected,” said Toronto manager John Schneider. “When we put him on the roster, we did it because we thought he could help us win, which he did yesterday, and keeping in mind that he hasn’t played in seven weeks.”
In three plate appearances Friday, he singled, grounded out and took a walk. He made a couple of fielding plays at second base, including a nifty grab on a hard hit grounder by Teoscar Hernandez that pulled Bichette across the base to his right.
Kiner-Falefa came in to pinch run for Bichette in the sixth inning after he got on base with a walk.
“[Bichette] was in my office as soon as he came in and just said, ‘What are you expecting? What do I need to be ready for and how do I prepare?,’” said Schneider on Saturday. “It’s a nice weapon to have on the bench tonight, for sure,” said Schneider on Saturday.
The Jays lead the Dodgers 1-0, with Game 2 slated for tonight at 8 pm ET.