Bichette's Return Sparks Blue Jays Comeback Over Royals

Bo Bichette slapped two game-tying hits in his return from the injured list, sparking a Blue Jays comeback win over the Royals.

Bo Bichette slowed into second base, throwing his arms in the air as he reached the bag with a game-tying double. An inning later, Bichette was back on base, back thrusting his arms in the air, and tying the game once more.

The Blue Jays shortstop hadn't played in 12 days, not even a rehab outing in Triple-A Buffalo. Fresh off the injured list, Bichette slashed a pair of game-tying hits in the late innings on Friday, single-handedly sparking a Blue Jays comeback for a needed win against the Royals.

"It's impressive what he can do in the box man," manager John Schneider said. "It's just like an instant shot of energy to our offense. He's really, really good."

The Jays treaded water in Bichette's absence, knocking off three series wins against three of MLB's worst rosters. But with the shortstop back in the lineup and a crucial homestand starting, the Jays need to keep climbing. Friday's comeback win was a good start.

As Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lofted a soaring double into the gap in the seventh inning, Bichette took off from first. The last box the shortstop had to check before returning from a quad injury was 'running wild,' testing to make sure his leg could take it, he said before the game. And as Guerrero's hit touched turf, running wild Bichette was. He bolted around second, stomped on third, and ran home with Toronto's third run of the inning, seizing a two-run lead.

For most of Friday's game, Toronto's bats were kept in check by one of baseball's worst pitching staffs. The Royals' bullpen game mix pitched five shutout frames before Bichette's hits in the sixth and seventh. Even as Yusei Kikuchi carved through five innings of one-run ball, the Jays couldn't scrounge any runs. But with their big stick back in the second spot in the batting order, the offense eventually broke out.

At times this year, Bichette's been essentially Toronto's entire offense. Despite the missed time, he still leads the team in batting average and is second in homers. The Jays have been able to survive his two IL absences, playing to a 15-11 record without the shortstop in the lineup. But, they're better when he's there.

With 21 games left in the season, and a healthy Bichette back in the mix, the Jays are hoping this version of themselves is enough to get back to October.

“This is when you find out what we're made of," Bichette said. "Nothing else matters up to this point. It's all about now. We’ll find out.”