Bichette 'optimistic' about returning for ALCS

NEW YORK -- Hours after Bo Bichette was spotted jogging in the outfield of Yankee Stadium prior to Toronto's 5-2 win in ALDS Game 4 on Wednesday, the injured shortstop said he was hopeful of returning from his left knee injury in time for the ALCS, which begins Sunday.

"I've made a lot of progress recently, so I'm optimistic about my chances," Bichette told reporters after the Blue Jays' ALDS-clinching win. "I still have some hurdles to clear, but I'm optimistic. ... I'm feeling better every day."

Before the game, Bichette was seen jogging from the left-field foul line toward center field in a straight line and walking back a handful of times. It was very light, but it was clearly a positive development that was underscored by his postgame comments.

“Good news the last couple of days,” manager John Schneider said for the first time in a month on Wednesday. “He was out there running today and he actually hit off Max [Scherzer] and Chris [Bassitt] back home. He hit against [veloctiy] and hit in the game. He didn’t run, but he took 14 swings off of them. He’s just trying to feel out his timing. These last three days have been pretty good for him.”

That simulated game up in Toronto on Tuesday included Joey Loperfido, Ty France and some other members of the Blue Jays’ organization. Bassitt, still working back from some lower back inflammation, threw 45 pitches while Scherzer threw 96 over five innings, leaving Schneider to joke that “you can’t really contain him too long.” Following that, Bichette travelled to New York with Bassitt and Scherzer to meet the team.

Bichette last played on Sept. 6 here in New York, but he injured his left knee on a hard collision at home plate with Yankees catcher Austin Wells. The PCL sprain is more serious than anyone expected at the time, given that Bichette finished that game, and his eventual return has loomed over the Blue Jays’ stretch run and ALDS.

It slowly became clearer that the ALDS was unlikely for Bichette, given that he hadn’t started running yet. He’s been hitting and throwing, but until he really cranks up his running progression, it’s impossible to chart out much of a timeline.

“We miss him and he knows we miss him,” Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said prior to the ALDS against the Yankees.

Granted, after Bichette did his short jogs on the field, he appeared to walk gingerly off the field with the Blue Jays trainers. Schneider downplayed that, though, and didn’t sound concerned with anything he’s seen from Bichette moving around the clubhouse and field lately.

“That’s kind of how Bo rolls on and off the field,” Schneider said.

He’s clearly still working through some level of discomfort, and while the team doesn’t need him to be at 100% -- no one is at this point, anyways -- Schneider has said that he’s not about to bring a hobbled Bichette off the bench in a hero spot.

“He'd have to play pretty regularly,” Schneider said late last week when Bichette was left off the ALDS roster. “Just with the way we deploy our guys, we don't want to deviate too much from what we've been doing. So we’re not saving him for a Kirk Gibson at-bat once a game.”

The Blue Jays will host Games 1 and 2 of the ALCS at Rogers Centre against the victor in Friday's Tigers-Mariners ALDS Game 5. Bichette is expected to continue ramping up in the coming days with the team.