Deep into May, Bo Bichette’s batting production has not improved, with his OPS now at .539 after an 0-for-4 outing versus the Yankees. The Mets have kept him high in the lineup despite a season-long slump against fastballs and breaking balls, while his power n
By mid-May. the Mets’ offense has been searching for traction long enough that Bo Bichette’s slump stands out even more.. While other hitters around him have started to “get going. ” Bichette has remained stuck. yet the team has still slotted him in the top third of the order.. The reason isn’t mysterious: the Mets’ offensive struggles and a long list of injuries have forced them to keep key bats in place.
Bichette’s recent struggles turned up again after an 0-for-4 performance on Friday in a 5-2 loss to the Yankees. His OPS has slipped to .539, and the gap between what the Mets expected when they signed him and what they’ve gotten through the first 44 games is getting harder to ignore.
The comparison is stark.. With the Mets, the plan had been that Bichette’s 2024 downturn was a one-off.. But through 44 games, his numbers are actually a little worse than in that career-worst season.. His batting line is .213/.264/.275, compared to .225/.277/.322 two years ago.. His OPS is down accordingly. and his wRC+ isn’t in the range Mets fans are used to seeing from him—especially after the fact that. in five of his six MLB seasons. he posted a 120 wRC+ or better.
What’s happened at the plate is showing up in the at-bats themselves.. In Friday’s 0-for-4. Bichette struck out in the eighth inning and went through three swings and misses—once at a 93 mph fastball over the heart of the plate. then twice at two splitters around 80 mph low in the zone.. Struggles against fastballs have been a through-line, too: he entered Friday hitting .215 against them, compared to .306 last year.
That same matchup problem existed in 2024 as well.. He hit only .230 against fastballs that season, and his average against fastballs stayed above .300 in all of his better years.. This time, the trouble isn’t limited to fastballs.. He’s also dealing with breaking balls: his hitting is .214 and slugging is .286 against secondary offerings. after hitting .310 against them last year.
Not every data point points in the same bleak direction, but several batted-ball trends raise eyebrows.. His ground ball rate is more than 6% higher than his career norm. his line drive rate is 3.5% lower. and he’s pulling the ball less often.. Even so, there are some numbers that look like they could support cautious optimism.. His 90.3 average exit velocity is essentially in line with his career average of 90.8. his expected batting average is .281. and his expected slugging percentage is .396—still underwhelming. but notably higher than his current SLG of .275.
His strikeout and walk rates are also similar to his career averages.. His BABIP entering Friday sat at .255, compared to his career mark of .334.. Looking specifically at fastballs, his xBA in that category entered Friday at .285.. In 2024. when he also struggled. his xBA on fastballs was .275; the difference this time is that he was limited to 81 games. and the season was repeatedly interrupted for various IL stints.
The contradiction inside the numbers is that 2024 came with injuries and missed time. while this year doesn’t show an obvious physical explanation.. Bichette hasn’t been dealing with any reported injuries.. There might be some bad luck involved. but there’s no clear “excuse” to lean on as his performance continues to fall short of the .800-plus OPS bat he was signed to be in the thick of the order.
Another measure of how far off the expected production has been: entering the second half of May, Bichette had just two home runs in 193 plate appearances. His isolated power is .062, and both his power and his overall output look like a shell of what he’s delivered across most of his career.
The pattern through the season is consistent: his OPS has slid to .539 after an 0-for-4. his hitting against fastballs is .215 compared to .306 last year. his breaking-ball results are down versus last year. and while exit velocity and expected metrics are steadier. BABIP at .255 sits well below his career mark of .334.
As the Mets move deeper into their schedule. the question becomes less about whether Bichette can rebound and more about when the lineup changes start to matter.. When the team was struggling offensively across the board, dropping him didn’t seem to fit the moment.. Now that some other Mets are starting to hit. there could be growing pressure for Bichette to get it going in the two-hole.. If the slump continues, the impact won’t stay contained—it will only become more magnified.
Bo Bichette Mets mid-May slump OPS .539 Yankees loss 5-2 fastballs breaking balls wRC+ BABIP exit velocity home runs