Could Bo Bichette’s Big Hit Be the Spark the Mets Need?

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The New York Mets desperately needed a spark, and on Thursday night, Bo Bichette delivered.
With Francisco Lindor on the 10-day IL due to a calf strain, Bichette batted leadoff for a Mets team that entered the night with an 8-16 record. He went 3-for-5 during Thursday’s 10-8 victory over the Minnesota Twins. The highlight? A bases-clearing go-ahead double off the left-center-field wall with two outs in the eighth inning — his biggest hit to date in a Mets uniform.
BO CLEARS THE BASES! 😤 pic.twitter.com/podlPYPVrm
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 24, 2026
“I think he’s been looking for that moment, especially here at home,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. “Meaningful for him to do it in front of our fan base.”
Bichette, 28, proved to be one of the toughest outs in MLB last season, posting a .311/.357/.483 slash line with 18 home runs and 94 RBIs in 139 games. But after joining New York this winter on a three-year, $126 million deal that includes multiple opt-outs, the elite bat-to-ball skills that made him a star with the Toronto Blue Jays took longer than expected to show.
Through his first 24 games as a Met, Bichette had a .545 OPS and an uncharacteristically high 22.6% strikeout rate. For reference, he ranked among the top 14% of MLB hitters last season with a 14.5% strikeout rate.
That said, things have started to click at the plate for Bichette in recent weeks. The two-time All-Star infielder has recorded a base hit in seven of his last eight contests, and Thursday marked his fifth multihit performance of the season.
“The desire to help a new team and the desire to just perform at the level you know you can perform at – I don’t know if any of that was weighing on me, but I definitely still need to get better,” Bichette said. “I’ll make adjustments and get to the player I need to be.”
"The desire to help a new team, the desire to perform at the level you know you can perform at. I don't know if any of that was weighing on me. Still need to get better, make adjustments and get to the player I need to be at"
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 24, 2026
- Bo Bichette pic.twitter.com/oaqpXxYGeJ
After enduring a 12-game skid, the Mets have strung together a pair of victories to get somewhat back on track. The return of Juan Soto and the emergence of Bichette are positive developments, but there are still a number of concerns facing the club.
Fellow offseason addition Devin Williams has struggled to close out games for the Mets, allowing eight earned runs on 14 hits and six walks through seven innings of work. Struggles from Kodai Senga and David Peterson have also left New York searching for answers in the back half of its rotation. On top of that, Lindor could miss a “significant” number of games.
While it will not be easy for the Mets to overcome their challenging start to the season, Bichette’s big hit serves as a reminder that things can turn around. The club will aim to carry that momentum into Friday as it begins a three-game set against the Colorado Rockies (10-16) at Citi Field.
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John Sparaco is a contributing writer for the Mets website On SI. He has previously written for Cold Front Report, Times Union and JKR Baseball, where he profiled some of the top recruits, college players and draft prospects in baseball. You can follow him on Twitter/X: @JohnSparaco
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