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TORONTO — No days off.

It’s become a cliché phrase, but it actually means something to Bo Bichette.

His goal every single year is to play all 162 games, wire to wire, start to finish.

Knowing how aware Bichette is of his body and the advanced preparation methods he’s shown in his short time as a big leaguer, Toronto Blue Jays decision-makers are on board with the idea, as well.

“We’re going to let him go,” bench coach John Schneider said with a smile. “Open up the governor and say, ‘Go ahead, Bo.’

“He’s smart enough to know if something is going to keep him out a day or two as opposed to a week or 10 days, he’s going to be smart about it. But it’s a luxury for

Charlie (Montoyo) because we know he takes care of himself and he’s going to make himself available.”

Bichette might’ve accomplished the feat last year if he didn’t foul a couple balls off his shin in a span of a couple days in August, forcing him out of the lineup and leaving him at 159 games played when all was said and done.

It’s an old school approach Bichette is taking and the reason is simple: He loves what he does and he believes in being accountable.

“The way I look at it is it’s my job to do it, to be available every single time we have a game,” Bichette said ahead of opening day Friday night at the Dome against the Texas Rangers. “I also think that playing every game takes care of a lot. It means that I have the trust in my coaches, manager, teammates and also producing. I don’t even know where it comes from, I just want to be out there.”

In an age of sport science and built-in rest days, there will be times he has to be smart and will maybe have to give up his quest for 162, but watching a 30-year-old Marcus Semien play every single game right next to him last year provided evidence it can be done.

“Marcus didn’t help me realize that was a goal of mine, but he did help me realize that it was possible,” Bichette said. “Not just possible, but also possible with a huge workload and a lot of preparation and a lot of work before games.

“I think just listening to my body. I’m going to be out there if I can be out there, that’s for sure. I think that I know myself well enough that if something’s creeping up and I need a day (off) or if it’s just something that’s nagging. I’ll pay attention to myself more so than if technology tells me I need a day (off).”

Bichette’s 2021 campaign was pretty remarkable.

At the age of 23, Bichette finished with an impressive .298/.343/.484 slash line with 29 homers and 25 steals in 26 attempts, generating 4.9 fWAR to help him finish 12 in American League MVP voting.

He also drove in 102 runs while crossing home plate 121 times himself, helping pace one of the best offences in baseball, mostly out of the two-hole in Montoyo’s lineup.

The scary part?

Bichette was fighting his swing mechanics for most of the year and never really felt like himself … until the final week of the season.

“I didn’t feel like myself in September, I felt like myself in the last week of the season,” Bichette stated simply. “That was the only time I felt like myself, the Yankees and Orioles series to end the season.”

All a locked-in Bichette did was bat .500 across 25 trips to the plate, bashing three homers and getting on base at a .520 clip.

So what changed with six games left?

“I just kind of simplified the game and stopped thinking so much,” Bichette explained. “I know a lot about hitting, I know a lot about the swing, my dad has taught me a lot and I’ve learned a lot from my peers, and so I think that I tried to do everything at the same time. Late in the year, I basically just went back to when I was a little kid. Kept it simple and tried to get a good pitch to hit and be on time. Yeah, it helped me a lot. I’m trying to keep it simple again but at the same time not forgetting everything I’ve learned.”

After seeing the numbers Bichette was able to post as he worked to find his swing behind the scenes, even Schneider is intrigued to see what kind of statistics are in the young shortstop’s future.

“For a hitter like him who’s so aware of what he’s doing with his body, he knows when he has it and he knows when he doesn’t,” Schneider said. “And for a lot of the year, he felt like he didn’t and he still hit .300 or whatever it was. I think when he’s locked in, he’s as good as anyone there is in the game. I think expectations are pretty high. He’s an elite player offensively, dynamic in a lot of ways and we’re expecting a big year out of him.”

As a no-nonsense, go-about-your-business type of player just like Semien, Bichette’s taking on more and more of a leadership role within the clubhouse these days, too.

When Bichette speaks, teammates listen.

“When he first came up he was kind of quiet and didn’t want to be a leader type and just let his play do the talking, but guys really respect him and the way he plays every day, the way he prepares every day,” Schneider said. “He’s a big, big part of what goes on in the clubhouse, and for a young guy that’s pretty unique. In the minors, we understood this group had a chance to play together in the big leagues for a long time and we talked about certain leadership characteristics that are needed to win over and over again and he’s kind of taken it and run with it now. He’s one of the guys that really holds everything together in there.”

With expectations higher than they’ve ever been for this drafted and developed group that’s been smartly augmented by some large free-agent contracts doled out by ownership, Bichette can’t wait to really leave a mark on the history of baseball in Toronto.

After coming up in August of 2019 and the two nomadic seasons that followed, they all get to experience a true opening day in Toronto.

“Incredibly exciting,” Bichette beamed. “I think all of us can’t wait. Most of us have never experienced it. When I was drafted by the Blue Jays, it’s what we saw in 2015 and 2016, where the stadium was full and fans were really excited to watch that team. I think that may be the case with us and we’re definitely really excited to see what it’s like.”