Blue Jays' Bichette to begin running in next 2-3 days
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The Toronto Blue Jays expect shortstop Bo Bichette to start running in the next two or three days as he continues to recover from a strained right calf, manager John Schneider said via MLB.com's Keegan Matheson.
Schneider added that Bichette is already doing some hitting and defensive drills at the team's complex in Dunedin, Fla. Bichette has been out since July 19 and began doing baseball activities last week. This is the third time this season dealing with an injury to his right calf.
The 26-year-old has struggled in 2024, hitting .223 with just four home runs and 30 RBIs over 79 games. Bichette also owns a .276 on-base percentage and a .587 OPS.
Bichette was coming off a 2023 season in which he was named an All-Star for the second time in his career, hitting .306 with 20 homers and 73 RBIs. Bichette led the American League in hits during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
After making his MLB debut in July of 2019, Bichette is scheduled to become a free agent following the 2025 season.
Francis wins AL Player of the Week
Earlier on Monday, MLB announced that right-hander Bowden Francis was the winner of the American League Player of the Week Award.
The award comes one day after Francis shut out the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Sunday, turning in seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts in an eventual 1-0 win.
It was his second gem of the week, having held the Los Angeles Angels to one run over seven innings with eight strikeouts last Monday. The outings brought Francis' season ERA from 5.44 all the way down to 4.38.
Francis has appeared in 21 games for the Jays this season, making seven starts. He struggled as a starter to begin the season, but was inserted back into the rotation following the trade deadline.
In 42 career games as a Blue Jay in three seasons, Francis is 7-3 and has a 3.40 ERA with 94 strikeouts in 100.2 total innings pitched.