Bo Bichette and the New York Mets are on the road to face the Toronto Blue Jays. The three-game series begins on Monday, with first pitch scheduled for 7:07 p.m. ET at the Rogers Centre.
While the infielder is becoming acclimated to his new team, now 84 games into the season, this is the first time Bichette has returned to Toronto to play the Blue Jays as a member of the Mets.
As a second-round pick in 2016, the two-time All-Star made his MLB debut with the Blue Jays back in 2019. He spent seven years with them, playing in a total of 748 games and becoming a fan favorite.
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While his time with the Blue Jays ended in heartache, losing in Game 7 of the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto will always be a special place. In fact, before the game on Monday, The Athletic's Mitch Bannon reports that Bichette was showing some emotions.
"Bo Bichette started tearing up when he sat in the Rogers Centre road dugout, looking out at the field," Bannon wrote via an X post. "He played here a long time, and this is the most emotional I’ve ever seen him. #BlueJays."
While he holds a soft spot for his former team, the Mets are hoping his return can spark some life into the 28-year-old. After signing a three-year, $126 million contract, he hasn't lived up to expectations.
So far this season, he has accumulated 44 runs scored, 86 hits, 10 home runs, 46 RBIs and 22 walks in 338 at-bats. Bichette is slashing just .254/.300/.388 with a .688 OPS. Considering he has a career OPS of .794, he's having a clearly down season.
With emotions running high, his return to Toronto is an intriguing storyline going into this three-game series.
