Blue Jays Announce George Springer Move During Royals Series

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TORONTO, ON - JULY 1: George Springer #4 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates his grand slam home run against the New York Yankees during the seventh inning in their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on July 1, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

The Toronto Blue Jays are looking to bounce back from a tough 5-3 loss on Tuesday at the hands of the Kansas City Royals.

The opening game of the series didn’t see the Blue Jays play well, and the Royals were able to take advantage. The result wasn’t what Toronto had hoped for after a tough series against the New York Yankees.

But there are still two games left against Kansas City for the Blue Jays to salvage the series.

Blue Jays Reveal George Springer Decision

Ahead of the second game against Kansas City, the Blue Jays have dropped the lineup for the game. Within it, veteran slugger George Springer will be hitting in the four-spot for Toronto as the designated hitter.

Springer was given the day off on Tuesday, at least in the starting lineup. The veteran was given a pinch-hit opportunity, but he went 0-for-1.

The Blue Jays are hoping that having him back can lead to them getting back in the win column.

Here is how the lineup for Toronto will look today:

Blue Jays 8/26

B. Bateman CF
V. Guerrero Jr. 1B
A. Kirk C
G. Springer DH
J. Sánchez LF
K. Okamoto 3B
N. Lukes RF
E. Clement 2B
A. Giménez SS

S. Miles SP

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) August 26, 2026

For the season, Springer has hit .239 with 12 home runs and 41 RBIs, while putting up an OPS of .707. Springer isn’t the same All-Star player that he was a few years ago, but he is still a key piece to this roster.

The veteran will try to help Toronto get a win in this game, hoping to put together some solid at-bats. Springer gives the offense a legit bat for the lineup, and he can still mash with the best of them in the big leagues.

Can the Blue Jays Sneak Into the Playoffs?

After reaching the World Series last season, 2026 hasn’t been the easiest for the Blue Jays. This team has seen inconsistency take place across the board, with the thought of a World Series hangover playing a role.

But even with the struggles, Toronto remains firmly in the hunt for a wild-card spot in the American League. The Blue Jays are 2.5 games back of a playoff spot entering this second game with the Royals.

“It’s been go time for a while,” manager John Schneider said.

Adding more thought to this team is that the Blue Jays have the second-easiest remaining schedule in the big leagues. This could help aid them in the journey to get to the playoffs, but Toronto still needs to show out on the field.

“You can’t rely on who you’re playing,” Schneider said. “We just came out of a really tough stretch against really good teams that were above 500 … so I think just worrying about us and not worrying about who we’re playing.”

The pressure is firmly on this Blue Jays team, who have been playing for their postseason lives for a while now. But whether Toronto is able to sneak into the playoffs remains to be seen.