Toronto Blue Jays may Force Veteran Into Positional Change
· Yahoo Sports
The Toronto Blue Jays blew expectations out of the water in 2025 when they reached their first World Series since 1993. Coming into 2026, those expectations increased tenfold, but unfortunately, they’ve been hit by an injury bug like no other team in Major League Baseball.
That’s led to the team struggling at points, but as they get healthier, they get closer and closer to contention, now holding a record of 33-35 as they sit firmly in third place in the American League East. Unfortunately for Toronto, there’s been some struggles as well, and after not finding their groove until July a year ago, the hope is that they can finally turn things around again as summer heats up.
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Toronto to put George Springer back in the Field
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectOne of the players who has struggled the most when healthy is veteran DH George Springer, a hero of the 2025 World Series run, capped off with an iconic three-run Home Run against the Seattle Mariners in the ALCS. In 2026 however, he’s been a completely different player, slashing .202/.283/.343 with just 5 home runs and 14 RBI across 46 games.
Simply put, he’s not been good enough for the Blue Jays either as a leadoff or a DH, and according to Manager John Schneider, there’s a plan in place to change that, as he may be getting pushed back into the field.
“We kind of have a plan in place to get that going (Springer back in the outfield).”
In 2025, Springer had a combined 185 at bats across the three outfield positions, but at the age of 36, the team moved him to a full-time DH role for the 2026 campaign. This change likely comes from the emergence of rookie Yohendrick Pinango, who has been mauling right-handed pitching this season, posting 4 home runs and 17 RBI across just 89 plate appearances against righties while hitting .348 in that time.
As a result of this and Pinango’s struggles in the outfield, they may look to DH him against righties, and if Springer is to find his way back into the lineup on a permanent basis, he will need to do so by providing value as an outfielder as well. This isn’t to say that Springer is done, but with the team needing to be at their very best, he can’t be an everyday DH anymore, and this is going to result in some big changes to the Jays lineup if it continues like this.
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