The Toronto Blue Jays could be close to getting shortstop Bo Bichette back from from the injured list. Bichette has been out since July 19 with a right calf strain.

Blue Jays manager John Schendeir provided an update on Bichette's rehab on Friday ahead of their game against the Chicago Cubs to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com.

Bichette has started to do some baseball activities at the Blue Jays' complex in Dunedin, Florida. He will continue to ramp up his activity in Florida, then check back in with the Blue Jays to evaluate a rehab assignment according to Schneider.

This is a great update for Bichette and the Blue Jays. Even though the Blue Jays are out of the postseason picture, nine games back of the Kansas City Royals for the third American League Wild Card position and 14.5 games back of the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles in the AL East, it would still be a big boost to be able to get Bichette back before the regular season wraps up.

Bo Bichette's future with the Blue Jays

Toronto Blue Jays first base coach Mark Budzinski (53) consoles shortstop Bo Bichette (11) after he suffers a lower body injury on the way to first base during the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Rogers Centre.
© John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
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Before going down with a calf injury in mid-July, Bichette was struggling. He was just slashing .223/.276/.321 with four home runs and 30 RBI and was the subject of numerous trade rumors ahead of the July 31 deadline. Despite those rumors and his poor play, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins made it clear he had no intention of moving Bichette, and considered him a franchise cornerstones.

With the way Bichette had played in 2024 before injuring his calf, it was unlikely that the Blue Jays would have been able to find a suitable trade for the former All-Star shortstop. Bichette has one more year of team control on his contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent. If he is able to come back and perform like he did the past three seasons when he was hitting .300 with 20+ home run power, even if it is just for a few weeks in September for a team that is out of the postseason race, it will give Toronto much more flexibility in regards to Bichette this offseason.

As things currently stand, Bichette's future with the Blue Jays is uncertain. However, if he is able to come back from his calf injury and perform well, it may be enough to earn himself a long-term extension with the Blue Jays despite his start to the season.