Bo Bichette’s season has come to an end.
The Toronto Blue Jays announced ahead of their series finale with the Texas Rangers on Thursday that Bo Bichette has been placed on the Injured List with a right middle finger fracture. Coming up in his place will be outfielder Jonatan Clase.
This caps off an incredibly frustrating season for the two-time All-Star. Bichette played in 81 games over an injury-riddled campaign and posted career lows in every major statistical category. He slashed a .225/.277/.322 line with four home runs and 64 strikeouts compared to 20 walks.
Bichette has dealt with a handful of similar injuries over the past year and a half but the broken finger is unfortunate luck. Shortly before last season’s trade deadline, Bichette hurt himself while rounding the bases in a game against the Baltimore Orioles. He went on the Injured List with patellar tendinitis in his right knee, returned and played eight games, and landed on the shelf again with a right quad strain.
Before the injury in early August, Bichette was having an excellent season at the plate. He slashed a .321/.352/.494 line over 106 games from April through July in 2023 but struggled to a .254/.292/.402 slash line over 29 games in August and September.
The injury seemed to linger into 2024, as Bichette had two trips to the IL because of issues with his right calf. The first came in June, and the second came 14 games after he had been activated. Bichette’s second stint on the IL lasted for two months. He returned earlier this week and went 2-for-5 against the Rangers in his only appearance.
Bichette also found himself in trade rumours this season. Bob Nightengale mentioned in the notes section of a USA Today article that Bichette had “told friends that he would welcome a trade” from the Blue Jays. About a month after that, once the trade deadline had passed, Nightengale said: “The Toronto Blue Jays are expected to entertain trade offers this winter for shortstop Bo Bichette, who has no plans to stay in Toronto once he’s a free agent after the 2025 season.”
When the Blue Jays were in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago, Bichette joined the team and spoke to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet about the rumours, stating that he wants to stay in Toronto long-term.
“When I had time to think about what I want, basically, my ultimate goal really is to play with Vladdy (Guerrero Jr.) forever, to win a championship with him and to do that with this organization. I’m 100 per cent committed to doing whatever it takes to accomplish those things. That’s where I’m at.”
Bichette has one season left on the three-year contract that he signed with the Blue Jays to avoid arbitration back in February of 2023. He’s set to be paid $17,583,333 in 2025 and will be eligible to hit the open market as a free agent next winter.
