Why Blue Jays may use Bo Bichette at second base in World Series roster setup

The good news emerged on Friday before Game 1 of the World Series: Bo Bichette is on the Blue Jays' 26-man roster for the Fall Classic.

Now comes the interesting part, though: Where is Bichette going to play?

Bichette took grounders as a second baseman on Thursday, and manager John Schneider alluded to the fact that Bichette may see time there.

That's despite Bichette having never played an MLB inning at second base.

But with him having missed more than a month, Toronto may opt for a different arrangement than when he was still healthy and not coming off a left knee sprain.

MORE: Why Shohei Ohtani signed with the Dodgers and not the Blue Jays

Why is Bo Bichette playing second base?

Bichette will be the top free agent shortstop on the market this winter, but right now, the Blue Jays are considering all their options.

The Toronto star hasn't played second base since 2019 in Triple-A, one game, and before that, nine games in Double-A in 2018.

Bichette has never been a second baseman in the major leagues.

"I've always said, if you can play shortstop, you can play anywhere," Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters, via The Athletic. "... It's a little bit of a leap, yeah, for sure."

The Blue Jays have used Andres Gimenez at shortstop throughout the playoff run with Bichette out since early September.

The second base position has been held down by either Ernie Clement or Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Clement has also played third base, and with 18 hits through his first 11 postseason games, seems unlikely to come out of the lineup.

Bichette would likely take IKF's spot, if he's healthy enough to play.

Schneider didn't give an exact indication of why Bichette would make sense at second over short (although Bichette doesn't have great defensive metrics at SS to begin with).

It has the potential to be a big risk to take.

At the same time, though, if Bichette hits well, then it can feel worthwhile no matter what happens in the field. And no one has ever really questioned Bichette's bat.

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