MINNEAPOLIS -- George Springer left Saturday’s game against the Twins in significant pain after he took a pitch off his left foot, the exact spot where he fractured his left big toe last month.
“Bad luck” feels like an undersell here. This is cruel luck, a slider from Connor Prielipp that snapped down and in on Springer, striking him right on top of his cleat. Manager John Schneider and the Blue Jays’ trainer immediately rushed out to Springer, who was on the ground for some time before walking off slowly.
“He’s all right. He got X-rays which showed no new fracture,” Schneider said after the 11-4 win over the Twins at Target Field.
That really captures Springer’s season so far, doesn’t it? Sure, there’s still a fracture in there, but the good news is that there’s only one!
“It’s not any worse than it was,” Schneider said. “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.”
This was just Springer’s fourth game back after he fractured that left big toe on April 11 and missed 18 days. He didn’t require a rehab assignment, proving to the Blue Jays that his swing was right where it needed to be with some live at-bats at Rogers Centre, and he was already playing through the pain at less than 100%.
“It’s like playoff George. He’s just grinding through it,” Schneider said prior to Saturday’s game.
The Blue Jays were already taking this day by day with Springer. But it won’t be Sunday regardless of how he wakes up feeling ahead of the 12:45 p.m. ET start.
“I was going to give him the day tomorrow anyway, with the early game for the old man,” Schneider joked. “We’ll see how he is throughout the day tomorrow and on Monday.”
The Blue Jays were already taking this day by day with Springer, who might have gotten Sunday’s 12:45 p.m. ET start off his feet regardless. Now, it’s possible Springer needs even more time, depending on the diagnosis.
Toronto’s injury woes have defined their season up to this point, particularly in its rotation and outfield. Nathan Lukes is on the IL with a left hamstring injury and is still weeks away, while Addison Barger (left ankle sprain) is beginning his rehab assignment Sunday in Single-A Dunedin, so he should be ready by the end of next week when the Blue Jays return home to Toronto. This has forced the Blue Jays to use prospect Yohendrick Pinango, who has answered the call and earned himself some “runway,” Schneider said earlier in the series.
It has also opened the door for Myles Straw, who hit a second-deck home run in Saturday’s game, along with Jesús Sánchez to play a more regular role. Springer is nearly a full-time DH at this point -- and surely will be for the coming weeks after taking another ball off his foot -- but he’s still tied to the injuries of that outfield group given how thin Toronto’s options have grown.
Springer’s health is also crucial to this lineup. Having Springer batting leadoff with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. third and Kazuma Okamoto fourth gives the Blue Jays a sense of stability, something they can build the rest of the lineup around each night. With Springer on the IL earlier in April, the Blue Jays rotated Ernie Clement, Straw, Lukes and Davis Schneider through that spot, but it left the rest of their order to be a daily puzzle. As Toronto tries to recapture its offensive identity from 2025, this is just another challenge
“Everyone knew what they were doing. This guy is going to grind, this guy is going to make contact, this guy is going to slug. I think we’re still sorting through that, to be honest with you,” Schneider said Friday. “The domino effect of not having guys leaves some guys trying to do things that they’re not great at or trying to do too much. It’s a constant thing we talk about every day.”
The Blue Jays should have a clearer feel for Springer’s availability in the short term by first pitch Sunday, including whether he’ll be available off the bench for any late pinch-hit opportunities.