Bo Bichette’s big bat could give the Blue Jays a much-needed boost as he nears his comeback

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Monday, an off day for the Blue Jays after their series finale win over the Chicago Cubs to avoid a sweep, looked like Bo Day.

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“It’s a big day,” manager John Snyder admitted when describing his best player. “He moved great (Sunday) and (Saturday). He’s about to check every box before he comes back.”

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The way Schneider sounded, the Jays may be in a better position to make a more definitive decision on Bichette’s availability by Monday afternoon.

“He’ll come (Monday) for practice and we’ll kind of go from there,” Snyder added.

The media regularly checks in with the skipper each day in the hours leading up to the first pitch. Nothing indicated a departure from pregame standards, meaning Schneider can break the news Tuesday by announcing that Bichette is back in the lineup.

Then again, maybe he won’t. Either way, he will be asked to update on Bichette’s condition.

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Bichette injured his knee rounding first base against Baltimore late last month. In his 13-game absence, the Jays went 7-6, a lopsided stretch that saw the team score 13 runs in Boston to complete a three-game sweep, only to total 14 runs over the next six games.

Everyone knew the Jays would miss Bisset, but his absence was felt more than expected.

Wladimir Guerrero Jr., in particular, was expected to shoulder more, but he was more or less disappointing.

Davis Snyder was called up for the series at Fenway Park and provided a much needed spark after Toronto’s horrible set against Baltimore.

Hindsight is a wonderful tool when thinking about what might have been, but it’s interesting to speculate what record this team would have had heading into the Philly series had Schneider not produced like a Babe at Fenway.

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As for Bichette, she will be back, as will others. When someone returns, the ax inevitably falls.

The Jays went with a six-man rotation, knowing there was a tough stretch of 17 games in 17 days. Knowing that three days off within the next eight were on the horizon, the team sent Alek Manoah to triple-A, making him the odd man out.

A position player will soon feel the squeeze once Bichette is cleared, and Kevin Kiermaier, who needed eight stitches to close a cut he suffered on his right elbow at Fenway when he took a leap to center, is close to returning.

“It’s a good puzzle to solve,” John Schneider said.

One that will definitely return is closer Jordan Romano. The Markham native had a back injury but returned to Toronto on Sunday after a rehab assignment in Buffalo.

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The hope, Snyder said, is that Romano will be “ready for Tuesday.”

Assuming Romano is available against the Phillies, the Jays will have both Jordans in the bullpen for the first time since the team acquired Jordan Hicks from the St. Louis.

Hicks (1-7) gave up the game-winning run in the ninth inning Saturday as the Cubbies beat the Jays 5-4 to dampen the parade of Jose Bautista’s level of excellence.

RYU COMES IN

Hyun-Jin Ryu was rightfully singled out for his outing Sunday, his third start back on Aug. 1 against Baltimore.

“Pretty remarkable,” Snyder said. “He really hasn’t missed a beat. Limits hard contact. Everything he did before he got hurt is what he’s doing in his first three starts.

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“Just unbelievable, really, at his age (36). It’s not that easy. He makes it look so easy.”

The crafty lefty picked up his first win since Tommy John surgery last June.

Ryu earned his previous MLB win when the Jays were in Anaheim on May 26, 2022.

“I’ve thrown all my pitches since my last command outing and everything was pretty much there,” Ryu said through an interpreter. “I think I’m back where I wanted to be.

“Since I started fighting, I felt good. I wasn’t actually locked up or had to be held back during my rehab process. Everything went quite smoothly and I’m quite satisfied with that too.”

Against the Cubs, Ryu retired the final six batters he faced after walking former LA Dodgers teammate Cody Bellinger to start the fourth.

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The two runs Ryu gave up were unearned on a Brandon Belt error at first base.

“I know the velocity isn’t back to where it wants to be yet, but he’s able to compete,” Cubs manager David Ross said.

“This change is quite devastating. When you give him a bit of a lead, it’s hard to deal with long runs. We needed an error on their part to get those first two. He kind of cruised once he got the lead.”

REMAINS

For those who missed it, Matt Chapman was late Sunday after a freak accident in the team’s weight room. The man known as Chappy was putting a weight back on the rack when he stubbed his middle finger. “When you look like Matty, you have to lift weights,” Snyder said. “Bad timing.” Chapman was unable to catch the bat and was replaced by Santiago Espinal at third.. Snyder is at a loss for the many times Danny Jansen was hit by a pitch. “He has a target on his back. It’s ridiculous.” . No AL player since the All-Star break has more hits than Merrifield (40). He also stole his 22nd base of the season Sunday.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com

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