George Springer is still progressing through the early stages of his rehab from a right quad strain, but the Blue Jays are proceeding with caution as their star outfielder works back from his second IL stint of the season.
Springer was placed back on the IL with a re-aggravation of his quad strain on May 5. He appeared in just four games after being activated from the IL the first time and didn’t look like he was 100 percent for much of it, so the Blue Jays have evaluated what can be done differently this time around.
“It really is just a matter of how he feels each day, to be able to take that next step toward a playing progression,” general manager Ross Atkins said on Sportsnet 590 THE FAN. “He’s in the middle of a running progression, which is going exceptionally well, and as he gets through that and gets up to running at full speed or very near, then he can start to get some game reps and some live reps.”
Springer is still in the jogging phase of his running buildup, and while he’s able to keep up with other basics like batting practice and throwing, running will be the No. 1 hurdle he needs to clear.
It’s clear that Springer’s debut isn’t coming this week, but it will be difficult to map out much of a timeline until he advances to the next stage of his rehab. The Blue Jays have been fortunate to have Randal Grichuk step in at center field while Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Teoscar Hernández play the corners, but Springer’s bat at the top of this lineup would take this entire team to another level.
“We’ve just got to remember that he has to build up to nine innings,” said manager Charlie Montoyo. “Whenever he’s ready to run pretty good, then you’d think he’ll have to do a rehab assignment, too, so he can get at-bats and play.”
All eyes on Alek Manoah… still
No. 5 prospect Alek Manoah dominated again on Wednesday, striking out 10 over six innings of one-run ball to move his Triple-A ERA to 0.50. There aren’t many players in Minor League Baseball off to better starts, and as he continues to put pressure on the Blue Jays with his exceptional performances, the organization needs to determine which signs will tell them he’s ready for the call.
“It becomes much more subjective, but it’s about understanding how to weigh all of the different factors and all of the different potential implications,” Atkins said on 590 THE FAN. “Not as they relate to just Alek Manoah, either. I don’t think there’s a metric. In fact, any metric you could find would be very encouraging towards suggesting he should absolutely be in that discussion.”
When will the Blue Jays return to Toronto?
On Thursday, Ontario’s provincial government announced a three-step re-opening plan, which each step tied to percentages of the population receiving their COVID-19 vaccination. It’s an encouraging step, but with 2,400 cases of COVID-19 reported in the province on Thursday, the Blue Jays’ return to Rogers Centre at any point in 2021 is still extremely complicated, especially as the Canada-US border remains closed to all non-essential travel.
“The likelihood of that is very difficult to project, when that will be,” Atkins said. “Obviously, at some point, we will be there. I’m very hopeful it is this year. With the timing, all we can do is think about when it makes sense for the Blue Jays and when those potential windows could be. From a health and safety standpoint, it’s just not up to us, so we project out when those transitions would make sense.”
Hatch on the comeback trail
Thomas Hatch, who went down with a right elbow impingement in Spring Training, makes a rehab start for the Triple-A Bisons on Thursday night and could soon re-enter the discussion for the MLB rotation. So much of the focus has stayed on Manoah and No. 1 prospect Nate Pearson, but the Blue Jays view Hatch as a Major League starter.
“He’s been great," Atkins said. "The velocity has been there. The slider looks great. The changeup has always been there. He looks strong and he’s recovering exceptionally well. He’ll continue to be built up, and he’ll be an option for us in early June when he comes off the 60-day IL.”
Keegan Matheson covers the Blue Jays for MLB.com.