Bo Bichette (leg) back in lineup on Thursday

Bichette didn’t start any of the three games against the Red Sox because of right leg soreness. Barring something unexpected, he should be back in the lineup after the break.

Bichette did appear as a pinch-hitter in Saturday’s contest, though he was lifted or a pinch runner after he drew a walk. Expect him to be available off the bench once again on Sunday afternoon. Zack Short will once again start in his place at second base and bat eighth for the Mets while Bretty Baty covers the hot corner.

Bichette was out of the lineup for a second straight game against the Red Sox because of right leg soreness. He was obviously available to hit, but as soon as he reached, the Mets replaced him with Tyrone Taylor at first base.

The Mets aren’t going to take any chances with the All-Star break looming at the conclusion of the weekend. Virtually every player is dealing with bumps and bruises at this juncture of the season. Bichette has delivered at the dish recently, hitting .309 (38-for-123) with five homers and 19 RBI over his last 30 games. There’s a decent chance he’s back for Sunday’s first-half finale. It’ll be Brett Baty taking over at the hot corner for the second straight contest.

It’s nothing more than a routine night off for the 28-year-old infielder. Brett Baty will slide over and cover the hot corner while Zack Short draws a rare start at second base and will bat ninth for the Mets against Red Sox’ right-hander Sonny Gray on Friday evening in New York — assuming that the Red Sox eventually arrive.

The Mets led the game 5-3 after 1 1/2 innings and also after eight innings. They then crushed Cookie Carrasco for five runs in the top of the ninth, only for the Braves to make a nearly miraculous run in the bottom of the ninth, which featured a grand slam from Drake Baldwin. Bichette’s two-run double in the ninth, which seemed pretty meaningless at the time, was hit 407 feet to center and would have been a grand slam in 11 ballparks. He’s batting .350 with five homers, eight doubles and 22 RBI in his last 29 games.

Bichette started at third, but he moved to second in the eighth after Eric Wagaman hit for Brett Baty. He then moved back to third in the ninth after Ronny Mauricio hit for Wagaman (who didn’t get an official at-bat because A.J. Ewing was caught stealing to end the seventh while he was up). Bichette, who ended up going 0-for-4 in his first game back in his former home, played second for the Jays in the postseason last year, but he’d never before played in a regular-season game. This gives him extra eligibility in some leagues. He might wind up seeing more time there with Marcus Semien sidelined.

Bichette hit a hot-shot down the line in the fourth inning and came around to score later as the Mets’ only run in this contest. He’s been on fire over his last 30 games with a .319/.357/.521 slash line plus five home runs and 18 RBI. After all the hullabaloo from his cold stretch to start the season, he looks completely back to his old ways and is somehow still on pace for 20 home runs, 90 RBI, and nearly 30 doubles. Just as we all expected.

It’s Bichette’s sixth straight multihit game. He’s 14-for-26 during the stretch, raising his average from .227 to 254 and his OPS from .607 to .677. He was actually as low as .210 with a .531 OPS on this day one month ago.

Please, please let this be the sign that Bichette is finally turning the corner. After homering in his first at-bat on Thursday, he did the same here with a solo shot in the first inning against Spencer Strider. Then, he came up in the second with the bases loaded and blasted a grand slam. That made it three home runs in six at-bats after only having five all season before then. He chipped in a sac fly in his next plate appearance as well. While not as sexy as the home runs, it reminded us of the type of situational awareness Bichette has more so been known for in his career. He jumped up from a .607 OPS to a .635 OPS after this game alone and again, the hope is that he is finally getting himself back on track.