Toronto Blue Jays fans wonder if Bo Bichette can play in the 2025 World Series and how he could fit into their lineup against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"Where's his timing, where's his rhythm, where's all the stuff against the best rotation in baseball? That's one part of it. The other is, who knows where [George] Springer is with his old knee situation Springer has been DH-ing. Can Bo really play the infield for you? Can he twist and turn and change directions and do all that stuff?” Madani wondered on the SportsCage.
"If he's going to be your DH, what happens to Springer? And if all of this isn't it, if he's going to be a pinch hitter, then how do you manage that? I think there's a lot of layers to this whole thing."
Bichette hasn't played in an MLB game since September 6 due to a knee injury he suffered against the New York Yankees. He's optimistic about his chances to play as the Jays face the Dodgers in the first game of the World Series on Friday.
"All I've been thinking about is this moment, I'll be ready for whatever opportunity comes my way," Bichette said to the media.
Madani, on the other hand, is unsure about the odds of Bichette playing.
"They have to declare the roster on Friday morning. Bo was taking ground balls this afternoon. Bo has only faced live pitching and simulated games," Madani said. “He’s saying all the right things. [John] Schneider says it's going to come down to it."
Through 582 at-bats for Toronto during the regular season, Bichette produced a .311 batting average, tied for second-best in the majors, hit 18 home runs, recorded 94 RBIs, and stole four bases.
The Dodgers pose a difficult challenge to the Blue Jays in the World Series and Madani explains why.
"The highest payroll in baseball, they can beat you in so many ways, defending World Series champions. The best rotation in baseball -- their starters in the NLCS, Blake Snell went eight innings, [Yoshinobu] Yamamoto went a complete game. If there's a weakness on the Dodgers team, it's their bullpen. But here's the thing, their starting pitching goes deep, if not completing a lot of games. The Dodgers can beat you in a lot of different ways," Madani said.
"Their bats are very potent. Their starting pitching is very good. Blake Snell, who gets the ball Friday in Game 1, has been outstanding in these playoffs. So stop if you've heard this before, can the Blue Jays bats continue to do whatever it is they've been doing? LA has been ruthless in October and their starters are really good."
When it comes to Toronto's pitching, Madani is a fan of rookie Trey Yesavage.
"So here you have a 22-year-old kid who's going to get the ball when he starts Game 1 Friday, he will have started more playoff games in the big leagues than regular season games," Madani said. "When he goes and steps on the mound, it'll be like 200 days after he made his pro debut. I looked up who they played 200 days ago, it was the Jupiter Hammerheads Single-A in front of 347 people. Two hundred days later, in the first World Series game in Toronto since 1993, he's going to open proceedings facing [Shohei] Ohtani in the fall classic."
The Blue Jays host the Dodgers on Friday for Game 1 in the 2025 World Series in downtown Toronto at the Rogers Centre at 8 p.m. ET.
