Latest injury update on Bo Bichette provides clearer timeline for his return

In a season in which nothing appeared to have gone right for Toronto Blue Jays star shortstop Bo Bichette, there was finally some relatively good news with regards to his latest injury. According to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, Jays manager John Schneider revealed that Bichette will undergo surgery to repair his fractured right middle finger and should be ready to go for spring training next year.

Prior to the hand ailment, Bichette was just coming off the IL from a previous calf injury that had kept him out of action for almost two months. However, his long-awaited return to the lineup would last all but one game before landing on the IL once again, this time ending his season for good.

Bichette’s latest ailment capped an uneventful 2024 season for the 26-year-old shortstop that was filled with struggles and injury issues. When he was healthy, he put up his worst MLB season ever as he batted a lowly .225 with a .598 OPS, 71 OPS+, along with just 29 runs scored, 16 doubles, 4 home runs, 31 RBI and 5 stolen bases in 81 games played. Not only that, after massively improving on his defense last season, his 2024 struggles have also affected it as well. With respect to the numbers, Bichette registered a -3 DRS and a .971 fielding percentage this year, as compared to the impressive 5 DRS and .980 fielding percentage he put up in 2023.

Despite his ineffectiveness lingering practically for the entire season, along with the Jays’ own struggles as well as a team, Bichette was also surrounded by rumours that he would be moving on from the team. Nevertheless, he still remains a Blue Jay as of this moment, along with giving a subtle reassurance that he wanted to win with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the rest of the Jays’ organization.

Barring any drastic moves by the Jays this offseason, Bichette will have his chance for redemption starting in the spring of 2025. Hopefully by that time, he will have all his injury woes behind him. That way, Bichette can finally be able to refocus on just one goal in mind, which is to make this Toronto team a winner.