Baseball: Power outage – Blue Jays star shortstop still without a homerun

Bo Bichette, the Toronto Blue Jays’ star shortstop, is currently enduring an unusual power drought that sets him apart from the rest of Major League Baseball. Since May 28, 2024, a total of 328 MLB players have stepped up to the plate at least 200 times. Among them, Bichette is the only one who has yet to hit a home run in that span. This is a surprising statistic, especially for a player who has been known for providing solid offensive production throughout his career, particularly for his position.

While Bichette has never been considered a premier slugger, he consistently displayed respectable power numbers during his first few seasons in the majors. However, over the last 11 months, that power has all but disappeared. Through the first 24 games of the 2025 season, Bichette has failed to hit a home run despite leading the American League with 104 at-bats. His last home run dates back to May 27, 2024, in a game against the Chicago White Sox. Since then, he’s gone 239 plate appearances without leaving the yard.

The drought isn’t entirely due to performance alone. Bichette missed 10 days in June of 2024, followed by a more extended absence from mid-July to mid-September after re-aggravating a calf injury. These setbacks limited his opportunities, but even when healthy, the long ball simply hasn’t been there.

Despite the power outage, Bichette is still producing in other areas. He’s currently batting .298 in 2025, a continuation of the strong contact hitting he’s known for. Based on his current pace, he’s projected to finish the season with 54 doubles, 88 RBIs, 14 stolen bases, and a 3.4 WAR over 162 games. These numbers closely mirror his performance during his peak years from 2021 to 2023, when he batted .298 with an .815 OPS, averaged 26 home runs, and was worth 4.8 WAR per season. During that stretch, he also earned two All-Star nods and placed in the top 16 of AL MVP voting each year.

However, the absence of home runs in 2025 has dragged his OPS down to .714, a noticeable dip from his previous levels. While Bichette’s lack of power has been glaring, he’s not the only Blue Jay struggling to go deep. As a team, Toronto has hit just 13 home runs through their first 24 games—ranking 29th out of 30 teams in Major League Baseball. This slow start represents the lowest home run pace in franchise history.

Bichette’s performance is emblematic of broader offensive issues plaguing the Blue Jays early in the 2025 season. While his overall numbers remain respectable, the prolonged power drought is becoming harder to overlook, especially as the team searches for a spark to jumpstart its struggling offense.

Reno Silva/MS