The Toronto Blue Jays will be without George Springer once again ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Springer was activated off the IL on April 29 and returned to the lineup on April 30. Yet, on May 2, Springer was hit by a pitch on the fractured toe again, and he was down in pain and immediately went to the clubhouse.
Since then, Springer has yet to play, and he once again won’t be in the lineup for Monday’s road game against the Rays. The Blue Jays lineup is as follows:
- Y. Piñango LF
- K. Okamoto 3B
- V. Guerrero Jr. 1B
- J. Sánchez RF
- E. Clement 2B
- D. Varsho DH
- M. Straw CF
- A. Giménez SS
- B. Valenzuela C
Although Springer won’t be in the starting lineup, he could be made available off the bench as a pinch hitter, according to Blue Jays manager John Schneider.
“George Springer ‘probably going to be available off the bench today and hopefully good to go tomorrow’ per John Schneider,” Nicholson-Smith wrote on X.
Springer, meanwhile, said he hit inside on Monday and told Hazel Mae of Sportsnet that he ‘felt great’ and wants to play.
Springer is hitting .212 with 2 home runs and 7 RBIs this season with the Blue Jays.
Blue Jays Avoid Major Injury to Springer
After Springer went down in pain and left the game, the hope was that he didn’t suffer any major injuries.
However, after the game on Saturday, Schneider gave some positive news that Springer didn’t suffer any major injuries.
“He’s all right. He got X-rays which showed no new fracture,” Schneider said. “… It’s not any worse than it was. It went right off that guard he has on his spikes, thankfully. You probably saw him just laughing as he was sitting there on the ground. We’ll see how he is. I love that the X-rays are negative and there’s not anything else going on with his toe.”
Springer hasn’t been placed on the injured list, so given that he said he’s ready to play, it is a good sign for him and the Blue Jays.
The slugger is a key part of Toronto’s offense, so getting him back will be key.
Toronto Starting to Get Hot
The Blue Jays got out to a horrible start, but Toronto is starting to trend in the right direction.
Toronto has won three of its last four series, and in the one series the Blue Jays didn’t win, they split a four-game set against the Minnesota Twins. Toronto has risen up to 14th in MLB.com’s power rankings this week, up from 19th the previous week. A key reason why is the success of Kazuma Okamoto.
“Kazuma Okamoto, perhaps stirred on by the success of fellow Japanese rookie Munetaka Murakami, has at last gotten red hot. After three straight games with a dinger, including a two-homer game on Friday, Kazuma Okamoto has seven homers and 18 RBIs in his past 15 games. For what it’s worth: That is not what Bo Bichette has done in his last 15 games,” the power rankings article read.
The Blue Jays are 16-18 and in third place in the AL East.
Blue Jays Make George Springer Decision Ahead of Rays Game