The Toronto Blue Jays have a chip on their shoulder and a playoff spot to win as they enter a new series against the Baltimore Orioles. Prior to the first game of the series, they announced news about George Springer.
Friday night’s game will feature a pitching battle between Max Scherzer and former Blue Jays hurler Chris Bassitt. The September 11th, 2026 game will be broadcast at 5:07 PM Mountain Time, 7:07 PM Eastern Time.
Toronto Blue Jays Announce Sudden George Springer News Before Baltimore Orioles Series
Before the first pitch of Game 1 of this new series, the Blue Jays suddenly announced news about Springer.
- CF: Brett Bateman
- DH: George Springer
- 1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
- C: Alejandro Kirk
- RF: Nathan Lukes
- 3B: Kazuma Okamoto
- LF: Josh Smith
- SS: Andres Gimenez
- 2B: Ernie Clement
Starting Pitcher: Max Scherzer
As you can see from the announcement, Springer is back in the lineup. He is slotting in at his usual designated hitter position.
The 36-year-old slugger missed the previous two games.
Prior to missing the last game, John Schneider spoke to the media about Springer’s condition.
“George Springer is ‘a little banged up,’ per Blue Jays manager John Schneider. Club’s trying to leverage Thursday’s off day to give him time to recover. Schneider said Springer will be available off the bench on Wednesday if needed,” Schneider said via Arden Zwelling.
Considering that he is back in the lineup, whatever ailment was affecting Springer has now been resolved.
Looking at Non-George Springer Changes
At first blush, there are not many significant changes to speak of.
For starters, Springer, Nathan Lukes, and Josh Smith are the only players coming into the lineup. Coming out are Charles McAdoo, Myles Straw, and Brandon Valenzuela.
Valenzuela is the most significant of the trio. His removal was practically guaranteed once Springer was deemed healthy enough to slot back into the starting lineup.
This is largely due to how well Alejandro Kirk has been hitting the ball lately. Valenzuela isn’t a lineup regular yet, so it’s not surprising he’s getting the boot over Kirk.
However, it’s a long and grueling schedule, and having extra bodies to insert and remove from the lineup (who are also great players) is a luxury.
Considering they lost their previous series against the Athletics, it’s reasonable to assume that the Blue Jays will come out with their bats swinging on Friday night.
Toronto Blue Jays Announce Big George Springer News Before Orioles Series