The Toronto Blue Jays are coming off a dominant 11-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians, evening the series heading into Thursday’s finale.
Ahead of the rubber match — which will feature right-hander Jose Soriano for Toronto against Tanner Bibee for Cleveland — Blue Jays manager John Schneider made a few sudden and notable changes to his lineup card, despite the team coming off one of its best offensive outputs of the season.
Blue Jays Announce George Springer Decision
Springer batted second on Wednesday night as the team’s designated hitter, going 1-for-4.
For the series finale, however, Schneider has elected to give the veteran the day off. Sean Keys will step in as the DH, while the outfield will feature Nathan Lukes in right field, Brett Bateman in center, and Jesus Sanchez in left.
Here’s the full Blue Jays lineup:
Via Underdog MLB: “Blue Jays 9/3 B. Bateman CF N. Lukes RF V. Guerrero Jr. 1B J. Sánchez LF S. Keys DH J. Smith 3B A. Giménez SS E. Clement 2B B. Valenzuela C J. Soriano SP.”
Blue Jays 9/3
B. Bateman CF
N. Lukes RF
V. Guerrero Jr. 1B
J. Sánchez LF
S. Keys DH
J. Smith 3B
A. Giménez SS
E. Clement 2B
B. Valenzuela CJ. Soriano SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 3, 2026
Springer’s 2026 Season
Currently in his 13th MLB season and his sixth with the Blue Jays, Springer is batting .251 across 108 games and 398 at-bats.
He has recorded 52 runs, 100 hits, 14 home runs, and 46 RBIs, while slugging .417 with a .743 OPS.
Looking at the Blue Jays
Toronto enters Thursday with a 69-71 record, keeping them right in the mix for an American League Wild Card spot.
While they sit 14.5 games back in the AL East, they are only 1.5 games out of a playoff berth, trailing the Guardians, who currently hold the final AL Wild Card spot.
Toronto Blue Jays Announce Sudden George Springer Decision During Guardians Series