New York Mets shortstop Bo Bichette is hitting .210 with a .531 OPS through the early weeks of his three-year, $126 million contract, ranking fifth-worst in the league. The 28-year-old has zero extra-base hits in 61 at-bats since April 28.

"There are a lot of things I didn't anticipate," Bichette said. "Just dealing with everything. New teammates. New organization. Staff. New fan base. Just everything, I think."

Several factors appear to be contributing to his slow start. Expected statistics suggest significant bad luck, with Bichette's actual .210 average sitting 67 points below his .277 expected mark. He also leads the majors with 14 Good Fielding Plays recorded against him, compared to just eight all of last season.

Mechanical issues may also be a factor. Bichette's attack angle, measuring the vertical bat path at contact, is currently the flattest in the league. His groundball rate of 52.6 percent is a career high.

“I don’t know if it’s been the toughest stretch of my career,” Bichette said. “But it’s up there.”

Position changes have added further disruption. Bichette agreed to move from shortstop to third base as part of his contract terms, but shifted back to short on May 2 after Ronny Mauricio fractured his thumb.

Mets second baseman Marcus Semien, a former Toronto Blue Jays teammate, noted the added demands of the position.

"Short's a lot more demanding. I've played shortstop. It's harder to hit as a shortstop. He's adjusting back to that," Semien said.

The Mets, despite significant injuries to Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert Jr., and Francisco Alvarez, have gone 10-5 in May. Bichette remains determined.

"Just wanting to be the player that the Mets signed is something that I think about a lot," Bichette said.