A few big-name Blue Jays are getting a day off ahead of an all-important wild-card race showdown.
George Springer, Alejandro Kirk and Kazuma Okamoto are out of Toronto's lineup for the rubber match against the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday (Sportsnet, 1:10 p.m. ET / 10:10 a.m. PT), the team announced before first pitch.
Lining up in their spots at designated hitter, catcher and third base will be Sean Keys, Brandon Valenzuela and Josh Smith, respectively.
All three players suited up for Wednesday's 11-0 win over the Guardians. Springer finished with an RBI double in four at-bats, while Kirk and Okamoto both went hitless in the win.
Springer has enjoyed a solid run of form of late, boosting his season-long batting average from .239 at the start of August to .251 heading into Thursday's game. On the year, he has a .743 OPS with 14 home runs and 46 RBI in 108 games.
Okamoto leads the Blue Jays in homers with 28 but has struggled to get on base (.302 OBP) and also leads the team in strikeouts with 165.
Kirk, meanwhile, was one of Toronto's top performers in August, hitting. 341 over the full month with five home runs and 20 RBI, along with only the second stolen base of his career.
The Blue Jays (69-71) are looking for another series win, and a particularly important one against the Guardians (70-69), as the two teams jostle for position in the crowded American League wild-card race.
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