​NEW YORK (AP) — Bo Bichette sat out the Mets’ lineup for a second straight day on Saturday because of leg soreness and right ankle pain, and there’s a real possibility he could sit through the All-Star break. “It’s a day-to-day thing,” manager Andy Green explained before the Mets continued their three-game series with Boston. “If he’s feeling great tomorrow we’ll get him back out there. If not we’ll likely use the All-Star break to kind of get him a full reset.”
Green noted that Bichette first started feeling trouble during last weekend’s series in Atlanta, where he went 8-for-18 but also fouled balls off his legs. “In Atlanta, he fouled some balls off of his legs, kind of beat his legs up a little bit, played through a lot; the guy’s a warrior,” Green said. “Legs are just overall sore, got some right ankle soreness, as well, coupled with that.”
Bichette went 0-for-3 in Thursday’s 7-3 win over Kansas City and has been productive of late, batting .320 with two homers and 11 RBIs over his last 25 games. Overall, he’s hitting .256 with 10 homers and 51 RBIs in his first season with the Mets after seven seasons with the Blue Jays. He began the year slow, starting 2-for-22 and hitting .219 through the first two months. The Mets signed Bichette to a $126 million, three-year contract in mid-January to play mostly third base, though he made the majority of his 44 starts at shortstop while Francisco Lindor recovered from a calf strain. He has the option to opt out of the deal after either the first or second season to pursue free agency.
Meanwhile, Marcus Semien did some running on Saturday after facing Clay Holmes in live batting practice on Friday and could begin a rehab assignment soon as he recovers from a left hip flexor strain. Semien’s rehab assignment might not begin until the end of next week because the Mets’ Triple-A and Double-A affiliates are idle during the All-Star break. “Obviously, it’s tough timing with the All-Star break,” Green commented. “Only games going on are in the FCL through the All-Star break, and I’ve seen too many of those games in the last few years to feel great about putting our hitters in the batter’s box.”
Semien was placed on the 10-day injured list on June 25 and has missed 16 games. Acquired from Texas for Brandon Nimmo in November, Semien is batting .214 with nine homers and 29 RBIs in 80 games.
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