TORONTO – Bo Bichette, who has missed the Toronto Blue Jays' entire playoff run with a knee injury, is hopeful he will be active for Game 1 of the World Series.

Bichette, who suffered a sprained left posterior cruciate ligament in a collision at home plate, has not played since Sept. 6, and has very gradually ramped up baseball activities. After the Blue Jays punched their World Series ticket by winning Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, Bichette used the subsequent two off days to take grounders at second base and run the bases on the field, key steps in his progression.

A day before Game 1, manager John Schneider told reporters that it's "coming down to the wire" and the infielder still has some more boxes to check before being added to the roster. Bichette said testing the knee on World Series workout day was a crucial step toward activation.

"I think today’s a big day," says Bichette Oct. 23. "I’m going to go out there and see what more I can do. It’s not really in my hands, but I sure hope so. For me, I’m just trying to do everything I can to be physically capable of doing. I’m ready to help the team in whatever capacity that is."

Says Schneider: "I'm going to listen to players and trust them. We'll see how today goes."

Bichette had a fantastic offensive season, with a .307 average, 181 hits and an .840 OPS. In his absence, the Blue Jays significantly altered their look, moving regular second baseman Andrés Giménez to shortstop and deploying Ernie Clement and, after Anthony Santander's injury, Isiah Kiner-Falefa at second base.

Schneider suggested that Bichette could be used at second, short and designated hitter if he makes the roster.

It could be a significant disruption for the Blue Jays to reinsert Bichette at shortstop, where Giménez is superior defensively. But Bichette's bat would be a big asset, either in the starting lineup or bench. Schneider could certainly adjust to the game situation, inserting Bichette if the Blue Jays are losing or sticking with Kiner-Falefa at second if they are ahead, and defense is a priority.

But Schneider says Bichette has acknowledged his limitations and is "realistic" about his potential role in the World Series after the long-term layoff.

"Bo's been so open and realistic about how we have been playing and how – if he is active – he's going to be a part of it, not trying to come in and do anything that we're not capable of," Schneider said.

Bichette says it hasn't been difficult watching the Blue Jays' seven wins in 11 playoff games without him; had they been eliminated, he said, it would have been much more difficult.

"Now that we’re here, who cares if I was a part of it or not?" he says. "I think the most difficult part about it was just trying to get ready for this moment with a little bit of uncertainty. That was probably the hardest part. But once we won, I turned my attention to this."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bo Bichette injury update: Will Blue Jays star make World Series roster?

Reporting by Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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