Just about anyone rooting for the New York Mets this season has been watching, waiting, and hoping that former All-Star Bo Bichette will break out at the plate and be himself. His first 46 games of 2026 are in the books, and the wait continues.
Bichette is coming off a brutal Subway Series, during which he went 1-for-12 and had an embarrassing error that helped the Yankees score a run. Bichette’s lone hit came in the ninth inning of a 7-6 comeback win Sunday. When he got to first base, he couldn’t
help but crack a smile after finally breaking through with a knock.
A key part of the Mets’ offseason overhaul, Bichette’s signing helped ease the loss of several homegrown players. Landing him was seen as a consolation after missing out on Kyle Tucker. The Mets even secured Bichette at the last moment before the Phillies could. It seemed like signing a 28-year-old free agent out from under a division rival was a win for the front office.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was quick to talk up his splashy free-agent signing.
“This is someone who has been one of the better and complete right-handed hitters in all of baseball, really since he entered the league,” Stearns said at Bichette’s introductory press conference. “Beyond that, it brings an intense competitor. Someone who never takes a play off, who never takes an at-bat off, and that can only help the group as a whole.”
But so far, the results have been near the worst-case scenario for a player who had an epic performance for the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series just seven months ago. Bichette is hitting .210/.262/.269 with a 54 wRC+. His calling card is producing with RISP (.330 for his career), but he’s hitting an abysmal 8-for-42 (.190) in those situations this year and has just four RBIs in his last 15 games. His .518 OPS against fastballs is the third lowest of any qualified hitter in MLB, significantly lower than his career number of .813. His line drive percentage (18.8%) is at a career low, while his ground ball rate (53%) is at a career high.
“The difference this year is that his bat angle is under 45 degrees and he has been under everything,” Keith Hernandez said on SNY. “Pitches that he should hit, he’s fouling back or swinging under and missing. I would get him in (batting practice) and tell him to focus on the top half of the ball.”
One of several frustrating aspects of the situation is that Bichette has been relatively healthy since joining the team and has yet to miss a game. He has dealt with lower-body injuries at various points in his career, including during the 2024 season, when he played 81 games. Unfortunately for the team, Bichette’s stats so far this season have resembled his injury-plagued ‘24 season rather than his best years that saw him be one of the most exciting hitters in baseball.
Bichette isn’t the first big-name player to come to Queens and struggle. Juan Soto had an .822 OPS (.946 career) and 20 RBIs in his first 46 games with the Mets. Francisco Lindor was even worse with a .589 OPS (.815 career) and 11 RBIs. Both Soto and Lindor settled in to be above-average hitters in those seasons despite their slow starts.
When Soto was struggling last year, Hall of Famer and former Met Pedro Martinez was quick to defend him, reminding people that there’s a person in the uniform and that there would always be an adjustment period after switching teams on a massive contract.
Perhaps Bichette is in a similar situation, where the mental side of his game still has to catch up with the physical side. His $42 million salary this season is quite a raise from the $17.5 million he made in his final year with Toronto. Bichette himself admitted to pressing in the season’s opening series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“I didn’t anticipate it, but I definitely felt that wanting to have a moment not only for my teammates, but for the fans,” Bichette said. “That’s just something I have to manage. I guess I didn’t anticipate it affecting the way I play.”
Crushing injuries and poor offensive play across the lineup have only put more of a spotlight on Bichette’s cold start, as he and Soto are expected to carry the lineup daily. Despite setbacks, the Mets have momentum in May, notching a 10-5 record and winning four of their last five series.
Maybe his base hit late against the Yankees could be the start of a breakout. In the meantime, the Mets and their faithful will just have to wait for Bichette to find consistent success in New York.
