TORONTO — This Monday, Blue Jays fans can spend some time with players, alumni and club staff for a Virtual Variety Hour over Zoom.

Beginning at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, those who have registered for the free event can watch as current players Danny Jansen, Cavan Biggio, Ryan Borucki and Rowdy Tellez join J.P. Arencibia, Ricky Romero, Scott Downs and Casey Jansen. Also joining the fun will be general manager Ross Atkins and manager Charlie Montoyo.

With the season on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic, Blue Jays players have been looking for ways to stay connected with not just their teammates, but their supporters. That’s come in the form of their personal social media channels, video game streams like Bo Bichette’s playoff run in the MLB The Show Players League, and group opportunities like this.

“Everybody’s had so much down time. Why not find a good way to engage ourselves with fans and keep everybody hungry?” said Jansen. “I think the organization has done a really good job with our players.”

Like anyone else, Blue Jays players have been working to find a sense of routine in a time that’s anything but. After a life spent accustomed to ramping up for spring and competing each day, the past two months have been a new challenge.

Ask the players what they miss most, though, and you’ll rarely hear that they miss driving a double into the gap or placing the perfect fastball on the corner. Instead, most miss the time spent around their teammates, which is why the Blue Jays have worked to stay connected with Zoom calls of their own.

“That’s the big thing everybody misses. I miss the camaraderie with the guys,” Jansen said. “When we get on there and have our Zoom calls, just talking shop and having a good time with each other, that’s the beauty of baseball. We’re with each other for so long and you have so many good times.”

Monday’s Virtual Variety Hour will include games and answering fan questions, hosted by Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae and Sportsnet 590 The FAN’s Ben Wagner. The event will support the club’s virtual food drive, From Home Plate to Your Plate, benefiting Food Banks Canada. The initiative has raised more than 1 million meals to date.

The Virtual Variety Hour will be presented by TD, which has donated $100,000 with an additional $100,000 committed through a social media initiative launching next week.

Bichette staying sharp at home

Bichette has a better home setup than most, with access to a private gym and batting cages. Bichette typically starts with an 11 a.m. workout in his gym, then moves on to the cages before taking ground balls, throwing and hitting. His father, Dante Bichette, has been throwing to him. Dante, who played 14 seasons in the Majors, can still put some heat on it, too.

Like everyone else, Bichette is itching to get back.

“I was very excited for myself, and for the team, coming up. Really excited to see what we could accomplish,” Bichette said. “But I think as a baseball player, everybody in life, we live on routine. We live on knowing what’s next. This time, obviously, we don’t know what’s next. That has been a tough part and I’ve had to make adjustments in my thought process, in my training and everything like that to get myself in the right frame of mind to get the most of my training. It has definitely been tough, but I think I’ve handled it pretty well.”