TORONTO — For the first time in 48 days, Bo Bichette was in the Blue Jays lineup on Friday.
And for the first time in 2,382 days, he was playing second base.
In Game 1 of the World Series, no less.
“I think every part of this is a challenge, but I think it would be even if I had been playing,” Bichette said Friday before Game 1 against the Dodgers at Rogers Centre. “The World Series is a different animal. Luckily, I’ve had a lot of time in my life at second base, so I have some experience there. I mean, I feel ready to contribute there.”
Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Bo Bichette (11) speaks to the media before game one of the 2025 MLB World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Rogers Centre.
Bichette had been sidelined since Sept. 6 with a left knee sprain that he suffered in a collision at home plate with Yankees catcher Austin Wells. The shortstop was still too limited physically to make the Blue Jays’ roster for the AL Championship Series division series, but he was finally cleared for the World Series roster, even if he is still not fully recovered.
During the rehab process, Bichette came to the Blue Jays with the idea of playing second base — he played 30 games there in the minors, none since 2019 — because he could get ready quicker there. The Blue Jays were OK with it as a way to get Bichette’s bat into the lineup — batting cleanup behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. — coming off a season in which he hit .311 with a .840 OPS, while keeping Andrés Giménez (who offers more defensively) at shortstop.
Bo Bichette #11 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates a three-run home run as he runs the bases during the second inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on September 02, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Getty Images“Is it hard to do? Hell yeah,” manager John Schneider said of Bichette dropping back into the World Series after the layoff. “I mean, this is not easy. I think if there’s anyone that can do it, it’s him. You can probably drag him off vacation this offseason and say, ‘Go get a hit,’ and he’s probably the guy to do it. So that was part of it.”
The Dodgers kept Alex Vesia off their roster after announcing Thursday that the reliever stepped away from the team “to navigate a deeply personal family matter.” They could have kept him in play to pitch later in the series by placing him on the family medical emergency list (which requires being out at least three days), but opted not to.
Alex Vesia with wife Kayla @babyy_vesia/Instagram“We just didn’t want to have any potential for any kind of pressure,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “This is so much bigger than baseball. For us, it was doing whatever small part we could to just a hundred percent be supportive.”
In light of the NBA’s gambling scandal, MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said he continued to be concerned about “the safety and well-being of our players.”
“We’ve worked closely with the league to ensure the safety and well-being of our players,” Clark said Friday. “That remains front and center. That, along with the educating of our players, making sure they understand what they can and can’t do, is consistent and constant. But rest assured, every time there’s a situation that arises related to gambling, the concern doesn’t lessen, it gets worse.”
Cito Gaston, the Blue Jays manager for their only World Series titles, in 1992 and 1993, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Joe Carter, whose walk-off, three-run homer ended the 1993 World Series, will throw out the first pitch before Game 2.
