Blue Jays shortstop Bichette making progress, but still day to day with knee injury

Toronto Blue Jays' Bo Bichette runs after a single during a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

TORONTO — Blue Jays manager John Schneider was sporting a blue hoodie on Wednesday that had the words "Built for Fall" in white block letters across the front.

He expects to learn by Friday whether one of his team's foundational pieces - injured shortstop Bo Bichette - will be ready to play in the American League Division Series.

"I'll never put anything past Bo in terms of when people say he can't do something and him proving them wrong," Schneider said. "So it's a big couple of days for him obviously. I think that if he's ready we'll obviously welcome him back with open arms.

"And if he's not, I think that's another thing you want to play for is to keep going and get him back, hopefully in the next round."

Bichette, one of the homegrown faces of the franchise, missed the last three weeks of the regular season with a left knee sprain. The 27-year-old finished tied for second in the major leagues with 181 hits despite playing just 139 games.

He also posted a .311 average - also tied for second in the majors - along with 18 homers and 94 RBIs.

General manager Ross Atkins said Bichette was making progress on a daily basis, but there was no firm date for his return.

"It's day to day and our staff is aligned with that," Atkins said.

Toronto will open the ALDS on Saturday against the winner of the wild-card series between New York and Boston.

The Red Sox won the opener of the best-of-three series on Tuesday. The Yankees defeated Boston 4-3 in Game 2 on Wednesday night.

Toronto was expected to release its 26-man roster for the ALDS on Saturday morning. In addition to Bichette, other question marks included right-hander Chris Bassitt (back) and infielder Ty France (oblique).

Both players were expected to be in consideration but right-hander Jose Berrios (elbow) was not. He hasn't resumed throwing since going on the injured list last Thursday.

The Blue Jays made plans to keep busy during their five-day break by holding workouts and scrimmages Wednesday and Thursday at Rogers Centre. Intrasquad games were planned for both days with members of the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.

Infielder Ernie Clement said the extended break before Game 1 was "much-needed for a lot of us."

"Get off the feet a little bit, take a load off mentally, I think it's really important," Clement said. "And then it's right back to it. So the next couple days are going to be really important to gear up and get ready to go."

Toronto closed its season last Sunday with a fourth straight win to secure the East Division title. Toronto finished tied with New York at 94-68 but the Blue Jays took top spot as they had a better head-to-head record.

"It's hard to go from playing four games where you basically have to win and there's adrenalin and there is anxiety and there's ups and there's downs, to just kind of turning it off," Schneider said. "I think the guys and the coaches deserved to turn it off for a day (or two) and then get back into it."

Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday in Toronto before the series shifts to Boston or New York for Game 3 on Tuesday.

If necessary, Game 4 would be played Wednesday. If a decider is needed, the teams would head back to Toronto for Game 5 on Oct. 10.

Toronto played in the wild-card round three times between 2020 and '23 but was swept each time.

The Blue Jays haven't won a playoff game since 2016. Toronto made a second straight appearance in the AL Championship Series that year.

The Blue Jays have been to the World Series on two occasions in franchise history, winning in 1992 and '93.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2025.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press