Jays aren’t expecting a Kirk Gibson moment from injured Bo Bichette

Article content

Blue Jays manager John Schneider has long been an avid fan of the game and well-versed in some of Major League Baseball’s biggest post-season moments.

Article content

With that in mind, his assessment of injured shortstop Bo Bichette’s chances of returning to action in the American League division series that begins on Saturday, was probably revealing.

Article content

Article content

“I would say for him to be on (the post-season roster) he’d have to (be ready) to play pretty regularly,” Schneider said on Friday at his pre-series press conference at the Rogers Centre. “Just the way we deploy our guys, we don’t want to deviate too much from what we’ve been doing.

“So it’s not saving him for a Kirk Gibson at-bat once a game that may not come. He’d have to be pretty regular in some capacity.”

In other words: Unless he’s being coy, don’t expect Bichette to be on the roster when they are officially submitted to MLB by the 10 a.m. deadline on Saturday.

Article content

Article content

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Play Video

Gibson, of course, became a World Series legend for that one magical at-bat in the 1988 World Series. Not expected to play after sustaining leg injuries in the NLCS, Gibson went to the plate as a pinch hitter with his Los Angeles Dodgers training 4-3 to the Athletics with two out in the bottom of the ninth. A two-run walk-off homer helped the Dodgers beat the A’s four games to one and remains one of the iconic moments in Fall Classic history, a mighty blast that earned Gibson World Series MVP honours.

Officially, Schneider said that Bichette, who suffered a sprain to his left knee against the Yankees back on Sept. 6, remains “day to day still. Coming down to the wire. We’ll see how today goes and make that decision (on Saturday.)”

Article content

Specifically, Schneider said Bichette still must show that he can run and hit with velocity, two things he’s not been able to do, according to the manager’s description of the two-time all star’s recuperation activities to date.

Teammate Vlad Guerrero Jr. echoed comments he made earlier in the week, further dimming hope on a Bichette return for the ALDS.

“Sometimes you’ve got to find a way to grind as a team and go out there and try to keep winning, keep advancing,” Guerrero said of his team soldiering on minus his long-time teammate. “That way we’ll give him a chance to recover fast and hopefully he can be with the team in the future.”

Article content