It’s been a slow start to the season for Bo Bichette with the New York Mets.
The former Toronto Blue Jay is slashing .225/.273/.296 with one home run through his first 17 games. While he does have a team-leading nine RBI, Bichette is in the bottom three per cent in chase percentage according to MLB Statcast and is also in the 14th percentile in sprint speed.
ESPN’s Buster Olney joined TSN 1050 Toronto Tuesday and said Bichette is far from the first start player to get off to a slow start after signing with a team in New York.
“My experience in covering teams in New York for a lot of years is that superstars who drop in from the outside and get paid a lot of money, there is a transition period there,” Olney explained.
“It’s very rare that you see guys just take off right away and they dominate right from the very beginning like Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez and so many others struggle at the outset. And so, I don’t know, and only Bo knows for sure. What is he feeling physically? What is he feeling mentally?”
.@Buster_ESPN on why it's too early to write off the Jays, the acquisition of Lenyn Sosa, & the early season struggles of Bo Bichette #BlueJays50https://t.co/g3F6DI4XeQ
— First Up (@FirstUp1050) April 14, 2026
Bichette himself said during his introductory news conference after joining the Mets that he’s aware playing in New York is a different animal.
“I don’t think anything can prepare you for New York,” he said in January. “I’m not unaware that New York is a challenge. I’m not shying away from it. I’m ready for it, and I’m excited for it. These fans hold you accountable, and I think as a player wanting to be your best self, that’s only a positive.”
As Olney points out, Bichette isn’t the only member of the Mets struggling mightily at the moment.
“I’m definitely not surprised that he’s got off to a slow start so far this year because we’ve seen that. But man, it is ugly for the Mets right now. They’ve got about five guys in that lineup who are having all kinds of issues.”
Bichette’s .569 OPS is hardly the bottom of the barrel in Queens. Brett Baty has a .222 on-base percentage with zero home runs and hasn’t taken a walk yet this year. Marcus Semien is hitting .197 with a .532 OPS. Rookie Carson Benge hit a home run on Opening Day and has just five total hits since. And after slashing .265/.326/.495 with 26 home runs for the Seattle Mariners last season, Jorge Polanco is hitting .192 and has just two RBI in 13 games.
The Mets have lost five games in a row and were shut out 4-0 by the Los Angeles Dodgers Monday night, managing just three total hits. They enter play Tuesday tied for last in the National League East with the rebuilding Washington Nationals.
Bichette, 28, joined the Mets on a three-year, $126 million contract earlier this year, ending his tenure with the Blue Jays after seven big-league seasons.
He slashed .311/357/.483 with 18 home runs and 94 RBI in 139 games for Toronto during the regular season before he suffered a PCL sprain in September that sidelined him until the World Series. Despite being still visibly hampered by the injury, Bichette hit .348 with six RBI in the series as the Jays fell to the Dodgers in seven games.
